


➣The Fearless Skull Queen [1] | e.r ♔

by MarrishIsrealok



Series: The Fearless Skull Queen Saga [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, Death, Dragonborn - Freeform, Dragons, English King, Explicit Language, F/M, Fantasy, First Book, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gods, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, NSFW, Norse Gods and Goddesses - Freeform, Old Norse, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Partner Betrayal, Princess - Freeform, Queen - Freeform, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Soulmates, Supernatural Creatures, The Fearless Skull Queen, Viking themed, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:48:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25865404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarrishIsrealok/pseuds/MarrishIsrealok
Summary: 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎 - 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝?𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍.♔Solfrid Asbjørnsdottir is the daughter of a well-known king, Asbjørn the Fearless Skull King, leader of the savage Berserk army. Her life is as normal as a princess' life can be; the young girl is rather humble and beloved by her father's people. Until her eighteen birthday; that's when everything changed, and Solfrid is thrown into a series of events that will change her life forever, both for the good and bad.♔An original story. Started June 2020.©Marrishisrealok "e.r". All Rights Reserved. 2020.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: The Fearless Skull Queen Saga [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876888
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Stillbirth.

❝𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚍𝚎.❞

♔

A strangled sob escaped the small, petite woman who laid upon a large wooden bed covered in furs and multiple pillows. She was curled into a fetal position, her skin glowing in the lights of the many candles. The woman was pale, completely drenched in sweat as most of her was stuck to her face. Visible tear stains covered her cheeks, her usually lively eyes being completely dull. Her shaking hands held her knees against her chest as blood covered the entire lower region of her white nightgown, running down on the inside of her thighs and legs. 

Blood covered most of the bedsheets as well. Healers ran all over the large bedroom, trying their best to help her out. One of the healers was busy wrapping the stillborn baby in blankets made out of linen. Just as the healer was about to lift the stillborn and carry it outside, the woman's eyes snapped to the healer. She tried to speak, however, her voice was hoarse and raspy from all the screaming. She looked mildly confused before she came to it again. When she saw the small bundle in the arms of the healer, a desperate cry left her pale lips.

"Where are you taking my child?" She called out. "Let me see my child, please" The woman croaked.

The healer looked at the midwife, who was shaking her head sadly. Giving the healer a sign that it was okay to leave the large hut. The healer glanced a last time at the desperate mother, before removing her gaze and exited the hut.

"Where is she going?" The woman cried, looking at the midwife.

The midwife made her way over to the bed, sitting down. One of her hands brushed away some of the hair that had gotten stuck to the woman's face. The midwife's dress was also covered in blood. She smiled sadly, offering her sympathy, readying herself to give the woman the sad news.

"I'm so sorry, my Queen. She was stillborn, and I couldn't do anything to bring life to her" The midwife gently said.

The queen only looked at the midwife. She didn't utter a word. Her expression didn't say anything.

"She?" The queen muttered.

The midwife nodded, watching the queen carefully.

"A daughter.." She whispered so low the midwife almost wasn't able to catch it.

Warm tears welled up in the woman's eyes, as another sob escaped her. The woman curled together again, crying to herself. The midwife could feel tears welling in her eyes as well, but she quickly brushed them away. Her heart ached for the woman. Even though the midwife never had experienced giving birth to a stillborn before, she had witnessed multiple ones. It was truly horrible, watching a baby being ripped away from its mother. The midwife stood up, walking away, calling one of the healers over.

"Make sure the temperature of the queen stays low. Dab her forehead with a soaked cloth and give her some of the herbs if the pain becomes too much. I will talk to the King" The midwife said lowly.

The healer nodded, and the midwife left the large hut and made her way over to the Great Hall. It was already late evening, the midwife noticing that the birth had gone on for longer than she thought it would have. As she looked over the market place and down towards the biggest lake in Björnheim, she could see dark clouds coming. The midwife sighed, looking back at the Great Hall again before entering it. It was quiet, not too many people were inside of it. Thralls walked around the hall, picking up plates and cups, serving others food, cleaning, offering mead to those who wished to have more. When she looked to her left, she could see the king sit on his large throne, with both of his sons on each leg. Asbjørn was his name, known as the Fearless Skull King, the leader of the Berserk army. 

The king was being uncharacteristically playful, bouncing his legs so that both boys laughed loudly. The midwife stood there for a moment, watching the king and how happy he looked, and she hated herself for being the bearer of news that would destroy the mood completely. The king had no clue that he had just lost a child, a daughter, and the two boys had no idea that they just had lost a little sister. The midwife swallowed the lump in her throat as she slowly made her way over to the king. The people of Björnheim and the thralls had noticed the midwife's presence, looking with worry in their eyes, seeing as how she was covered in blood. The queen's blood. With unsure steps, the midwife arrived in front of the throne and the king. She held her hands behind her back, not meeting the king's eyes.

"My king, I come with bad news," The midwife said.

It was silent for a couple of moments. The Fearless Skull King stopped bouncing his leg, watching the midwife with narrowed eyes. When he saw all the blood on the midwife's dress, his face became drained from the color it held. Before the midwife could say anymore, the king had gotten serious and motioned for his younger sister, Ása, to come. Ása hurried over, only needing to take one look at the midwife to know that something serious must have happened to the queen and her sister-in-law.

"Take the children and watch them until I come and collect them" The king spoke, his voice booming over the entire hall.

Ása said nothing, but obeyed her brother's command and quickly called little Njáll and Úlfr to follow her. The boys looked confused, but they did as their aunt wished and followed after Ása, who went to one of the backrooms that the hall had. The king stood up, taking the three steps down from his throne, standing before the midwife. His gaze held a thousand emotions, yet he didn't let his face show one of them. The midwife looked down again, motioning for him to follow her. The midwife turned on her heels and walked out of the Great Hall, followed by the king. No one said anything as went. 

No one dared to, but after all, most of them couldn't muster up to say one single bad word about the queen they loved. Most of them began praying to the Gods that the queen hadn't passed in childbirth. The midwife and king got outside and began to walk towards the large hut, stopping halfway there. The midwife noticed how the dark clouds had gotten even closer now. And she could see them more clearly now, and she got slightly worried when she saw that those clouds were completely coal black. It was in the middle of the praised summer period and storms were not common during these long summers. But the midwife shook her head, looking up at her king. Asbjørn stood there, watching the midwife. She sighed, her face becoming sadder.

"Queen Dagmær is okay. She survived the childbirth, and my healers are taking care of her" The midwife began, watching the king closely before continuing.

"However.. your daughter–"

"Daughter?" The king interrupted.

"Yes, your daughter" The midwife confirmed "Did not make it.. she was stillborn and I tried everything in my power to bring her life but I failed" She ended, looking down at the ground.

The atmosphere became tense. The king watched the midwife with such an intense stare she could feel it burning through her body. His breathing became heavy and he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he had lost a daughter that he hadn't gotten to know. He had lost a child and the pain he felt made him go numb. What had he done wrong? Had he angered the Gods for some reason, so bad that they thought that this was the fair punishment? Anger took over his expression, his facade cracking. Fury ran through his veins like poison. He was shaking, and before the midwife could say anything else, the king turned around and walked towards the large hut. The midwife was left shocked, but she quickly recovered and followed after him. The king took long strides and soon enough he entered the hut. The king made his way to their shared bedroom. 

As soon as he entered, the healers stopped what they were doing, looking over at the king with wide eyes. All of them immediately got down on their knees, bowing for their king, showing their respect. But Asbjørn paid them no mind, his eyes landing directly on his wife, and his heart broke into a thousand pieces. All the blood and how distressed she looked made his heartache like someone had a steel grip on it and squeezed as hard as it could. Asbjørn made his way towards his wife, the healers stepping away, giving their king enough space. The king sat down by his queen's side, slowly reaching out a hand to touch her face. She was cold, and he began stroking her head. For a moment Dagmær did not react, she only looked forwards, before slowly turning her eyes towards her husband. They were completely dry now. She had no more tears to shed. She too felt numb. It crushed the king to see his queen so distraught, so uncomfortable, so broken. Slowly, he brought his arms around her, lifting her and pressing her against his chest.

"Leave us" His voice commanded.

The healers quickly did as he said and left the room. The midwife stood there for a couple of moments, looking at her rulers, before turning around and leaving the room. The couple was left alone, a couple of minutes went by when a single tear fell from Asbjørn's eye. When Dagmær saw the tear, she couldn't help but burst into tears once again. Even though she thought she couldn't cry anymore, something took over her. Something deep down that was biting her, torturing her, making her regret so many things she had done up until this point. They came flooding, piling down onto her lifeless cheeks. Just as she started crying, thunderous rumbling could be heard outside. Lightning had struck. Rain followed the sudden rumbling, and Dagmær cried even harder. Asbjørn stroke her back, hushing her, trying to give her some sort of comfort. She had a firm grip on his over-tunic and suddenly, she turned to look at her husband.

"I'm–I'm so sorry for ruining everything" She cried.

Asbjørn looked at her, confusion written all over his face.

"This is my fault–" Dagmær continued "If I only had listened to the Seer, this wouldn't have happened" She wailed.

Asbjørn's grip got tighter, watching his wife with narrowed eyes. He was searching her entire face, wondering what she meant.

"What do you mean "If I only had listened to the Seer"? What does the Seer have to do with this?" Asbjørn asked, trying not to sound rude nor judging.

"The Seer... The Seer told me that if I were to bear another child again, I would be punished by the Gods, and the babe was going to be taken away from me. That if I would become pregnant once again, our world would suffer the consequences" Dagmær shamefully admitted, her voice small.

Asbjørn's face was drained of its color. He let go of Dagmær who quietly whimpered at the loss of her husband's touch. His face turned from confusion, to dread, to anger and back to dread. The king couldn't wrap his head around the fact that his wife had completely disobeyed the words from the Seer. The Seer was never wrong. He just sat there, staring at his wife, baffled. It was silent for while as the king tried to recompose himself. Dagmær stared at him, afraid of his reaction to these news.

"You did what?" His voice boomed through the bedroom.

Dagmær flinched, her hold on her husband becoming looser, until the point where she let go of him. Her eyes were wide like a deer's, watching her husband carefully.

"I'm so sorry" Dagmær apologized again.

"I didn't think the Seer was telling the truth, the last things he told me didn't occur or happen at all so I was just thinking the Seer wanted to give me a scare" She whispered.

"How could you be so reckless?!" Asbjørn hastily said, rising from the bed.

"How–" The king stammered "How could you do this to us?!" He almost screamed.

"Please–" Dagmær tried to reason, but it was too late.

The king had turned around and left the bedroom with quick strides. He slammed the doors after him, with a force so strong he broke one of them. Dagmær was left sitting on their shared bed, tears still rolling down her cheeks. She had messed up things now and for a moment she feared that nothing would ever be the same after her confession. The king made his way towards the royal stables, not noticing that the midwife had seen everything and heard everything. She was shocked, to say the least. Her mouth was agape as she watched the king storm off in the rain. It was a lot to take in.

"Get my horse ready!" The king roared as he came closer to the stables.

One lonely stablehand jumped in fear, not expecting anyone at this time, but when he saw the king and the state he was in, the stablehand rushed to get the draft horse prepared. The stablehand rushed to get the horse ready and when the king finally arrived at the stables, the stablehand had just finished putting on the brindle. The smaller stablehand adjusted the girth one last time before handing over the reins to his king. Asbjørn's face softened only for a split moment, grateful for the stablehand's work, but then it returns to the same angry expression as before. The king leads his large, chestnut draft horse outside, before smoothly mounting it. The king looked over his shoulder, down at the stablehand.

"Go tell Egill that I will be gone for a while and to not send a search party after me" The king commanded.

"Tell him that he is in charge until I come back" He finished.

The stablehand nodded and ran off in the direction o Egill's hut. Asbjørn urged the horse forwards, taking off with a quick gallop. He steered the horse onto one of the paths he could track with his eyes closed, as the rain poured down on them. The king softly spurred on the chestnut horse, making their way through the thick fir- and pine trees, as he couldn't hear anything other than the thunder rumbling. Asbjørn wasn't the only one upset at this very moment. His tears mixed with the raindrops as his mind raced. He knew the only place he would truly be left alone at, a hut he had built over three decades ago, a secret hut where he would go to when he went on hunts or simply wanted to collect his thoughts or prepare for battle. This time he needed to collect his thoughts. He needed to know how to approach this situation in the right way, and not in a way that would upset his people or make them question his actions. 

Sharp branches cut his arms and face as he rode through a particularly thick part of the great forest surrounding his kingdom, as he held one arm up to shield his face from most of the merciless branches. The king went on for a while, just riding, along the path he knew so well. His mind wandering from one thing to another. Asbjørn had also noted, along the way, how quiet the forest had been. No typical sounds could be heard at all. Nothing but the thunder. It made him uneasy. The king rode over a small stream, through some more forest, before he arrived at a clearing. There stood his little hut. But something was off. In the middle of the clearing laid, what looked like, a bundle of blankets. 

The blankets were black, red, and gold. The colors of his kingdom. His eyebrows furrowed as they came to a halt. Looking over the bundle for a couple of moments, Asbjørn decided that he needed to investigate. The king dismounted his horse, taking the reins as he slowly walked over to the bundle. As he came nearer, he could hear a small noise. It sounded like a babe's cry. Of course, he would recognize such sound, having two boys of his own. He let go of the horse's reins, hoping that the mount would just stay put, as he walked over to the bundle, crouching down beside it. There it was, a small, but still audible cry. Being as careful as he could, he picked up the bundle and stood up, softly calling on his horse, before turning around and power walking to his hut. However, he failed to spot the two abnormally large ravens sitting on each branch, watching his every move. Just when the king got inside of the hut and away from the storm, the two ravens let out a gurgling croak before taking off. 

Inside of the hut, Asbjørn walked over to his small wooden dinner table, laying down the bundle. Slowly removing the blankets, his eyes widened when he saw the most precious babe. His stomach sunk when he saw that it was a tiny baby girl. Just like the one he could have had if it wasn't for what the Seer had foreseen. Asbjørn could see the faintest of her ash blonde hair, pale skin and she looked like she was out of the world. Like she didn't belong in this realm. Her eyelashes were long and gently touched her face as she blinked up at him. Her eyes were the most capturing things he had ever seen. Pale, ice blue colored eyes were staring up at him with such innocence. Her cheeks were red and puffy from the crying, which at this point had quieted down. Asbjørn just stared at this beautiful little creature, unsure of what to do. 

How could someone just leave a babe out in the woods to die? Something deep down nagged at him. He couldn't leave her out in this forest. He couldn't leave her to die. That would only make him feel horrible. Closing his eyes for a moment, sighing and cursing himself, he gently picked up the babe and started to cradle her, hoping that she would fall asleep. As he stood there, he could only hear how the storm outside got worse, how the lightning struck down faster, and with little room between them. One being struck so hard everything got white for a moment. Asbjørn walked over to the window of the hut, looking outside. Wonder was written on his face. Thoughts swirling in his head.

Little did he know that Dagmær was not the only one to be blamed for this whole ordeal, for she was only a pawn in the play, and Asbjørn was the one who set it in motion, sealing their fates forever. 

Because little did he know that he had just stumbled across a babe that would both be their blessing and their curse. 

♔

_―_ 𝚎.𝚛 _  
_


	2. chapter 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Swearing, blood.

❝𝙷𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.❞

♔

A pair of pale, ice blue colored eyes observed the group of nine people, both females, and males, sparring against each other in the middle of the forest clearing. It was their training ground. An older man walked around them, occasionally yelling orders at them. The sky was crystal clear, no clouds in sight, as the sun laid on thick. It was a hot day, but it wasn't anything surprising since it was in the middle of the summer season. There were a stream and an older cabin, which had belonged to the King before but had been given to the trainer and his pupils to store weapons in and for them to be able to rest inside. 

The girl, to which the eyes belonged to, sat by a thick pine tree trunk, resting against it as she watched her friends train. She was done for the day, her body overall sore with bruises forming. A smile was playing on her lips as she watched her best friend, Arnbjǫrg, a short, crazed ginger with freckled skin, beat her older brother Úlfr, a tall, lanky boy with dark hair and playful eyes. While sitting, she had her legs crossed, her hands resting over her chest. 

Since it was a hot day, the girl was wearing a simple, thin under-tunic made out of linen, in the color white, which was neatly tucked inside of her black trousers. Accompanied by her knee-high leather boots. A simple outfit for a girl in a high rank. She was so focused on her best friend and brother training that she failed to notice the tall boy sneaking up on her. A hand suddenly ruffled the top of her head, making her flinch and jump slightly. She let out a gasp, looking up with wide eyes and a blush making its way onto her cheeks. There he stood, a boy named Sigmund Kalfsson, who had dirty blonde braided hair and a toothy grin.

Laughter ripped at the back of his throat as he watched the girl on the forest ground suddenly go from complete shock to embarrassment and anger. Her eyebrows were narrowed, the blush still coating her usually pale cheeks.

"Sigmund!" She scolded him, as she watched Sigmund sit down next to her. "Why'd you do that?"

"I just wanted to see your reaction" Sigmund teased her before sitting down next to her.

He looked dismissive and kept on grinning, as one of his arms made its way around her shoulders, dragging her into his side. Even though she was upset with him for scaring her like that, she couldn't help but melt into the touch that she adored so much. She dragged her knees to her chest, puffing her cheeks as she avoided looking at him. In the background, the birds were singing a familiar tune and the wind giving them a soft, cooling breeze.

"Solfrid Asbjørnsdottir, are you trying to ignore me?" Sigmund asked, playing innocent.

Solfrid refused to look at him, keeping her head forwards as her eyes swept over her friends and brothers. But then a hand grabbed a hold of her chin, turning her head towards the boy she liked deeply. His grin and turned into a playful smile as he cocked an eyebrow at her. Her cheeks became hotter, if that was even possible, as she looked to the side. Sigmund was quick to catch it though, as both of his hands cupped her face, Sigmund leaning down to give her a quick, sweet kiss. Before Solfrid had the time to react, he had pulled back, stroking his thumbs over her cheeks. She looked at him, first squinting at him suspiciously, but then her face relaxed and a warm smile crept onto her lips.

"Are you mad at me?" Sigmund asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"..No" She muttered, this time she couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"Good" He jokingly told her, before kissing her forehead.

Sigmund let go of her face, placing his arm around her shoulders once more as she snuggled into his side. Both of their chests moving in the same calm rhythm. The blush on her cheeks had begun to fade, but she was still warm inside. Solfrid and Sigmund had only been lovers for a mere six months, but she liked him deeply and was pretty sure that the boy felt the same way about her. Solfrid can still remember when Sigmund had confessed his feelings for her, the way he had tried to properly court her, and how patient he was with her and her clumsy ways of handling her feelings. There had been ups and downs in their relationship but it hadn't been anything that they couldn't work through and get past. 

It was a healthy relationship and Solfrid could see a future with Sigmund by her side. The pair sat in comfortable silence as they watched their friends train, Sigmund mindlessly stroking his hand up and down on Solfrid's bare arm, just where she had rolled up her sleeves. The sounds of swords and axes colliding against shields echoed through the clearing and it had become a sound that Solfrid was now was very used to. Her training had taken a more serious turn when she was fourteen. 

Her father, Asbjørn the Fearless Skull King, leader of the Berserk army, had allowed her when she turned fourteen summers to get the same training as her older brothers Úlfr and Njáll. She had begun the proper training with Ragnar, their trainer, and rather quickly got the hold of it. Before her training had started she had forced Úlfr to teach her how to use the bow and arrow, and how to yield a sword and axe, in secret, so that their father wouldn't find out. Their mother, Dagmær, was very strict on the fact that Solfrid would grow up to be a fair princess and someday a faraway King's future Queen, but that had changed. It had taken a while for their mother to accept the fact that her daughter would not become someone's queen, but rather a fierce shieldmaiden princess. 

Solfrid's eyes traveled from Arnbjǫrg and Úlfr to Njáll and Þórfreðr, to Iðunn and Jórunnr and lastly, to Hálfdan and Eindriði. They were all good warriors, fighting fiercely.

"All right then! Training is over for today" Ragnar's voice called out, but not before continuing,

"I want to see one last sparring. Between Solfrid and Iðunn" The older man finished, looking at the two girls.

Iðunn and Solfrid had never really gotten along with each other. Iðunn had always been distant towards Solfrid, almost dismissive, even though Solfrid had tried to give her a warm welcome to the friend group. Iðunn was the last one to join, but no matter how hard Solfrid tried to get along with Iðunn, it seemed impossible. But even though this was the situation the two of them were in, Solfrid couldn't bring herself to hold any hard feelings towards Iðunn. She wasn't that type of person. 

When the two of them were alone, which was rare, they could only hold awkward small talk before the two of them would slip into a tense, awkward silence. However, Solfrid wasn't stupid. She had noticed that Iðunn had become even colder towards her when she got together with Sigmund. She had also noticed how tense, bitter, and snappy Iðunn was whenever Solfrid was with Sigmund. Her eyes watched Ragnar carefully, before mentally sighing to herself. Solfrid kept her happy expression on, however, she knew that if someone looked closely at her face, that happiness didn't reach her eyes. Sigmund leaned down and gave her cheek a quick kiss.

"Good luck" Sigmund whispered.

Solfrid nodded in response as she stood up, leaving Sigmund's embrace. She brushed herself off, before grabbing her double-sided axe and shield, which was in the same colors that represented the kingdom, black, red and gold. Solfrid held onto the axe loosely, her pale, ice-blue eyes meeting Iðunn's dull, dark brown ones. Solfrid could almost feel the discomfort radiating off from Iðunn. Paying no mind to that, Solfrid walked to the middle of the clearing, as her friends and brothers walked past her, some of them nudging her and wishing her good luck before they made their way to where Sigmund was seated. Some of them sat down, others stood up, leaning against nearby trees, all watching Solfrid and Iðunn. Iðunn did the same as Solfrid, and soon the two girls stood face to face, almost three meters in between them. Iðunn was holding hard onto her sword, Solfrid had noticed, she held the shield the same way. 

Sweat covered most of Iðunn's face, which was expressionless at this point. Solfrid swallowed, her grip on the axe's handle becoming harder, as she readied herself. She brought her shield slightly up, signaling to Ragnar that she was ready. Not too long after, Iðunn mimicked Solfrid and Ragnar looked satisfied. No one had to say anything. Both girls had entered the mindset of the fight or flight mood. Moments passed by before Iðunn took the first step, letting out a strangled cry before lunging at Solfrid. Solfrid was prepared for Iðunn's blow, knowing from observing Iðunn for a while, that she's always the first one to make the first move. Solfrid shielded herself, the force behind Iðunn's blow being hard. 

The moment when Iðunn's sword hit Solfrid's shield, Solfrid fought against it and pushed the sword away with her shield. Raising her axe, Solfrid swung at it at Iðunn, who also was quick to shield herself. She jumped a couple of steps back, her shield still held high as the much shorter girl prepared for another blow. Iðunn let out a growl as she went on and landed blow after blow against Solfrid who blocked each other them effortlessly. They began circling each other, Iðunn giving Solfrid dirty looks. Solfrid swirled her axe a bit, before lunging forwards, landing a powerful blow towards Iðunn and her shield. 

The two girls went on, the clashing of the sword against the axe and weapon against shields rang clearly through the training grounds. Their friends cheered them on, Ragnar watching closely. Both of them were panting, sweat covering their skin and it was almost glowing in the sun rays. A bit into the sparring Solfrid observed that Iðunn became more aggressive, her hits holding more anger than before. Solfrid huffed a bit before landing a blow, backing up a bit after her attack being dodged. 

That's when it happened. Something seemed to snap in Iðunn. Her eyes getting a wild glint in them. It had been a while since the two girls sparred, but this was something else. Iðunn lunged forwards, swinging her sword wildly, it was almost like Iðunn had forgotten that the two of them was sparring. It was like Iðunn was in battle, fighting for her life, she looked like she was thinking about something that very clearly upset her. Solfrid had a hard time blocking and dodging all of Iðunn's attacks. Solfrid tried to land blows as well, but it was a bit tad difficult with Iðunn being so borderline savage. Then it happened. 

Solfrid let out a pained grunt when she felt Iðunn's sword slicing her arm. It happened when Solfrid was about to land a blow on Iðunn, and Iðunn was too fast, moving to the side and slicing her arm with the sword. Ragnar had a strict rule that you weren't allowed to hurt your sparring partner when you used real weapons instead of your wooden replicas.

"What the fuck Iðunn?!" Solfrid shrieked, but Iðunn ignored it, going in for another attack.

Solfrid dodged the attack, feeling confusing and a rising rage within herself. Her face was completely narrowed, as Ragnar and the rest of them also had seen what Iðunn just had done. Ragnar was about to intertwine, to stop the sparring that had gotten out of hand, but he had no chance as the axe and the sword clashed against each other. Iðunn tried intentionally some more times to slash at Solfrid, but she blocked those attacks. Solfrid wasn't one to usually lose her cool, but this made her upset as well.

After all this time, Solfrid just wanted Iðunn to accept her, to at least try and get along with her. But this just proved that Iðunn and Solfrid never could be more than acquaintances, if even that. All of those dirty looks, snappy comments, tense and awkward moments between them made Solfrid lose it. She usually never lost her cool. But this time she did. This time Solfrid let herself get consumed by the anger she felt in the pit of her stomach. She saw only red, her arm was hurting, and when she had blocked Iðunn recent strike, Solfrid angrily threw her shield to the side. 

Adrenaline pumped through her veins and so did the anger. She braced herself, her grip on her axe's handle become so hard her knuckles turned white. Solfrid had the advantage of being so much taller than Iðunn, as she was towering over her. With an angry scream, Solfrid took a double grip on her axe and lunged at Iðunn, striking again and again with all the power she could muster, which only was boosted by the adrenaline. Iðunn yelped in surprise, as she struggled to dodge Solfrid. The taller girl had no mercy, striking over and over, Iðunn backing as she tried her best to not fall over. Iðunn had dropped her sword, holding her shield with both of her hands. 

Ragnar was now screaming at the two girls to stop this madness, but Solfrid completely ignored him. Solfrid's and Iðunn's eyes met for a split moment when Iðunn slightly lowered her shield, and that is when Solfrid delivered her last blow. With all of her powers, she swung her axe, hitting Iðunn's shield with such force that Iðunn fell backward, onto her back, Solfrid's axe stuck in her shield. Solfrid was panting heavily, her chest heaving up and down, as blood dripped down from the wound on her arm. 

Ash-blonde hair that had gotten out of the braids, which belonged to a half ponytail, on top of her head stuck to her sweaty forehead. Her expression held anger and it was very clear. Solfrid just stood there, staring at Iðunn, who stared back at her, and Iðunn was snapped out of her state. Her eyes no longer holding that wild glint. 

Everyone was just staring at the two girls, taken by complete surprise, especially by Solfrid's sudden outburst. Solfrid walked over to where Iðunn laid, as she took a grip on her axe, ripping it away from Iðunn's shield. Not too far away from the scene sat an abnormally large raven, who let out a low gurgling croak before leaving the spot. Solfrid had seen it in the corner of her eye but ignored it for the moment, more focused on Iðunn.

"I hope you're satisfied now" Solfrid hissed at Iðunn, her voice cracking at the end.

Tears brimmed in Solfrid's eyes as she turned on her heels, marching over towards the horses. Ragnar was the first one to snap out of the shock, as he rushed over to stop Solfrid. The older man got a hold of Solfrid's unharmed arm, however, Solfrid was quick to jerk her arm out of his grip. Solfrid glared at the older man, a couple of tears running down on her pale cheeks. Her eyes and eyebrows were still narrowed, but now she looked more hurt and sad than angry. Ragnar tried to say anything but was cut off.

"I'm never, ever, going to train with Iðunn again. Do you hear me?" Solfrid spat, clearly hurt.

Ragnar understood and only nodded, not saying anything more to the young girl. It was clear that Solfrid wasn't in the best mindset and he didn't want to upset her further. Solfrid brushed away the tears with her hand. It felt like someone was squeezing her heart, it hurt and she was just overall very upset with what just had happened. Ragnar could see that this hurt her a lot and it wasn't acceptable, not by any chance in his book. 

Ragnar would have normally told her to brush it off, man up, and be stronger than that. But Iðunn had stepped over the line, so Ragnar actually felt sympathy for the younger princess. Ragnar patted her shoulder, as Solfrid kept avoiding eye contact. his face became harsher as he turned to face Iðunn, who still was laying on the ground. No one had come to help her up. Ragnar began chewing her out, cussing at her as he walked over to her. Solfrid continued walking to the horses, ignoring her friends calling her name. 

This happy day had turned rather sour and she wanted nothing more than to just go home and bury herself underneath her furs. As she reached her mount, a soft, feminine hand gently grabbed her unharmed arm. Solfrid looked to her left, seeing Arnbjǫrg already looking up at her with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" Arnbjǫrg quietly asked.

Solfrid slowly shook her head, choking on a quiet sob. Arnbjǫrg's expression softened.

"I don't know why she went all savage like that" Solfrid whispered,

"She just got this wild glint in her eyes, it looked like she thought she was in a war fighting for her life" Solfrid finished.

Arnbjǫrg was aware of the strained situation between Solfrid and Iðunn, as Solfrid often would consult with Arnbjǫrg about it. After all, Solfrid and Arnbjǫrg had been best friends since they were babes since Arnbjǫrg only was a couple of months older than Solfrid. The shorter girl pulled the taller girl into a loving hug, which the taller girl quickly responded to, by squeezing the shorter in a trusting manner. After a couple of moments, they pulled away from each other as Arnbjǫrg took Solfrid's injured arm and looked at it. The wound was long and deep enough for it to eventually leave a scar. 

Since most of the adrenaline that pumped through Solfrid's veins had begun to fade, the throbbing pain became more intense. Arnbjǫrg cursed under her breath as she saw how deep the wound was.

"Shit, you need to go to one of the healers when we get back" Arnbjǫrg commented and Solfrid nodded.

Solfrid looked to her side, seeing her brothers and friends, who all looked concerned and worried, walking towards her. When they arrived at Solfrid's side, they began asking if she was okay and what happened. Solfrid had quietly repeated what she had said to them all. Hálfdan looked the most pissed, his expression turning to anger real quick. He cracked his knuckles, speaking up.

"I'm going to beat her fucking ass" Hálfdan growled out.

That made Solfrid snort with some amusement. She rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow at Hálfdan.

"Don't you remember when you punched me so hard that you knocked two of my teeth out? Who should have beaten your ass then, Arnbjǫrg maybe?" Solfrid said.

Hálfdan choked on the air, he had completely forgotten about that. His expression slowly faltered to a more sheepish look. But then it got a bit more serious.

"At least I didn't go after you with a real sword, she could have killed you" Hálfdan reminded Solfrid and Solfrid only swallowed at the thought of that.

If Iðunn would have wanted to, she could have had gone on, being even more savage. A shiver ran down Solfrid's spine. She snapped out of it when she felt Njáll putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at her older brother, who was, like everyone else, upset and angry. But he was even angrier. Njáll had always been overprotective of Solfrid, never letting her get hurt. He pulled her into a hug, before muttering to her.

"I'm going to talk to Iðunn personally, and then mother and father. There is no chance she's attending your birthday feast tomorrow" Njáll said and Solfrid only nodded as a response.

When Njáll pulled away from his little sister, he gently grabbed her axe from her, which she let him do. Because she was focused on something else. When she looked over her friends and brothers, she noticed a person missing from the group. Sigmund. He wasn't there with them, and for a moment, she panicked. Her eyes traveled further away, before finally seeing him. Her eyes slightly widened when she saw how he, instead of walking up to his lover to check up on her, walked over towards Iðunn with what seemed like a worried expression. 

Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw how he began talking to Iðunn, helping her to stand up and brush her off. Solfrid quickly adverted her eyes, taken by complete surprise. She swallowed harshly, taking one more glance towards Sigmund, and when she did she could see how he was talking quickly to her, how hurt Iðunn looked. Solfrid couldn't read her lips, but she could note how Iðunn's expression then went from a hurt one to a relieved one. Solfrid was slightly disturbed as she shook her head, taking a couple of steps backward.

"I'm going home. To see a healer and then to rest up for tomorrow. I will see you later" Solfrid said, turning around to her mount.

With some help from Njáll, she mounted the buckskin colored draft horse. She gave the group one last nod before softly urging the horse forwards. The buckskin mare went from a soft walk to a trot to a full-on gallop. She went over the stream, into the thick fir– and pine tree forest. Branches scraped her arms and face when she went through the thicker parts, but for the most part, she came through the forest unharmed on the path she knew so well at this point. When she glanced upwards, she could see two abnormally large ravens fly in the sky, which at this point began to get covered in grayish clouds. 

However, she didn't think about those, as she was more worried about her parent's reaction to all of this. She knew that she would be scolded for it, and even more scolded by her mother for being hurt and most likely needing bandages around the wound, which would force Solfrid to wear a long-sleeved dress for her feast tomorrow. After some time, she began to see the large village which she called her home. 

She could see all the huts, the market, the Great Hall, and the large lake a bit further away. As she neared her hut, which she shared with her parents and brothers, she slowed the mare down to a steady trot. Solfrid rode past a couple of villagers, who all greeted her with respect before she came to a halt outside of the royal stables. She dismounted the buckskin mare, wincing slightly when she accidentally pressed her arm and handed over her to one of the stablehands. 

Once Solfrid's horse was taken care of, Solfrid began power walking towards the hut. She kept trying to think of something smart to say, something that might save her from getting chewed out. Secretly she just hoped they would understand that it hadn't been her fault. When she reached the hut, she took a deep breath and opened the door. She was immediately greeted by a familiar sight, the family's three wolfhounds sitting by the door, waiting for her. A soft smile formed on her lips, as she bent down to pet all of them. Then she heard a very familiar voice speak up.

"Solfrid Asbjørnsdottir, what has happened to you arm?! Why is it covered in blood?!" A rather upset, feminine voice asked very loudly.

Solfrid cringed slightly before turning to look at her mother, who's eyes were narrowed, hands resting on her hips as she looked upset. Solfrid tried to smile sheepishly at her mother, but that smile dropped quickly as a sad expression appeared on her face. Solfrid looked down on the floor, her arms hanging by her sides. Her mother noticed the change on her daughter, and Dagmær became worried. She walked over to her daughter, grabbing her chin gently to make Solfrid look at her. Solfrid looked her mother in the eye, feeling new, hot, and fresh tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't help it. Her mother always made her feel like she could just express her emotions in whichever way she wanted to.

"Iðunn lost it when we sparred and attacked me and well... slashed my arm" Solfrid sobbed, before explaining a bit more in detail of what had happened.

Dagmær looked even more upset than Solfrid did. She went on to rant about what a terrible fool Iðunn was, how Dagmær was going to have a very, very stern talk with her parents and how careful Solfrid has to be, that Solfrid should have asked Iðunn to stop when things were getting out of hand. As Solfrid expected, she got scolded, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would have been. At the end of her mother's rant and scolding, Dagmær brushed away Solfrid's tears before she got a hug from her mother. After a while, her mother pulled away.

"I'm going to call over a healer for you, my little bear, while I go talk to Iðunn's parents," Dagmær said, kissing her daughter's forehead.

Solfrid said nothing, just nodded at her mother. Dagmær held her promise and exited the hut, leaving Solfrid alone again. Solfrid sat down at the dinner table, dragging her hands over her face, just wondering how a day could have gone from being rather good to turning into a complete shit show. Then she began worrying and overthinking. Had she overreacted? Maybe she had. Then she thought about what Sigmund had done. That was strange, and if she didn't lie to herself, it stung a bit. She wanted his comfort and instead witnessed how he instead comforted Iðunn. She buried her face in her hands, groaning. Her head snapped up when she heard the door open, and she felt relief when she saw that it was one of the healers.

A couple of hours later she was fixed up, fed, and laid underneath her furs, staring up at the ceiling while two of the wolfhounds were cuddled up on either side of her. Her breathing was steady as she thought about tomorrow. First of all, she needed to talk with Sigmund about what she had seen earlier, about what the two of them were talking about. She hated herself for feeling the way she did about it, but it felt off and she was hurt by it. And on the other side, she was going to be eighteen summers old tomorrow. Solfrid prayed to the Gods that it wouldn't be a complete shit show tomorrow as well, as she only wanted to celebrate her day with her family, lover, friends, and people. Solfrid squeezed her eyes shut as she turned to her side, wrapping her arms around the wolfhound, snuggling her face into her soft fur. Slowly she slid into a dreamless night, unaware that the big day she was waiting for would change her life forever. 

♔

 _―_ 𝚎.𝚛 _  
_


	3. chapter 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Swearing, blood.

❝𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎.❞ 

♔

The tall girl was making her way through the busy morning market. Her eyes were traveling over the crowd and different market stalls. The sky above them all was becoming a more clear blue color, as it had been the previous day, however, white clouds painted it this day. The sun had made its way up, shining on all of the people of Björnheim. People were congratulating her since it was her big day. Today was the day she turned eighteen summers. Butterflies formed in her stomach when she thought about it. A lazy smile was formed on her lips, as her arms were crossed over her chest. The tall girl kept on walking, greeting her people, stopping every now and then to talk with them. Her morning had been going smoothly so far.

She had breakfast with her family, who had woken her up with tight hugs and showers of congratulations and kisses. Then she had bathed and prepared herself before leaving their shared hut to seek out Sigmund. The thought about him made her a bit unsure of how to approach him. She knew what she had seen the previous day. How he had helped her instead of coming to check up on her. Perhaps it was selfish of her to think that way, but she had wanted Sigmund's comfort at that moment and was instead met with a sight she didn't expect. Maybe she was just overreacting. 

She hoped that she was just overreacting and that Sigmund was going to laugh at it and not be bothered about her concerns since that would be the best outcome. She thought mindlessly as her legs automatically carried her in the direction of the blacksmith's working station. As she walked, she failed to see the hurrying woman who rammed into her with such power that it made the taller girl stumble backward, almost losing her footing in the mud. She let out a strange sound, her eyebrows furrowing as she saw how the woman cried out desperately. Her items were dropped on the ground, no one bothering to help the woman out. The taller girl snapped out of her trance and began apologizing for bumping into her. She bent down and began helping the woman out, however, she froze in her movements when she saw who it was. 

It was Iðunn's mother. Solfrid gulped, looking at the woman in front of her. Iðunn's mother went to thank the tall girl but stopped herself when she saw who it was. The woman's expression went from a grateful one to a rather angry one. The woman snatched her items back from Solfrid, before hissing something at her, which Solfrid wasn't able to catch because Iðunn's mother stormed passed her. Solfrid was left looking after the woman, wondering what had just happened. Solfrid closed her eyes, sighing deeply. She wouldn't allow this little rude incident to ruin her day. 

She refused to and she knew she was stronger than that. The tall girl shook her head and continued to walk towards the blacksmiths. In her opinion, Iðunn's mother had all the rights to be mad at her, or that's what she thought at least. Solfrid had more or less caused Iðunn to get uninvited and also had both the queen and king of Björnheim come, personally, to their home to cuss them out for their daughter's behavior. She snapped out of her thoughts as a familiar voice greeted her.

"Hello there, princess. What brings you here, on your special day?" The gruff voice boomed through the station.

Solfrid began smiling brightly as she met eyes with the old blacksmith. She had known him for a long while, seeing as it was him who made her weapons, and how it was him who was the mastermind behind her double-sided axe. She placed her hands behind her back, tilting her head slightly as she watched him work.

"Hi, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" Solfrid greeted him, "Is there any chance Sigmund is here?"

The blacksmith stopped with his work for a split second, looking at the princess. Then a smug grin formed on his face, revealing a missing front tooth and wrinkles on his rough face. His eyes got that knowing glint. He too had been young once and had also had a special person that he liked.

"He's in the back" The blacksmith teased, which made the tips of Solfrid's ears become warm.

"Thank you" Solfrid piped, before rushing to the backroom of the working station.

The booming laughter of the blacksmith sounded through the work station as she left him behind before she heard the sound of his hammer hitting the anvil once more. Solfrid pushed the door that leads to the backroom open, peaking her head inside. There Sigmund sat, having an apron made out of leather on, as he was sewing back something on what looked like a piece of heavy chest armor. It most likely belonged to one of her father's Berserk warriors. She watched him work and admired how focus he looked, how his face was completely blank, and how smooth his movements his was. 

The tall girl was too focused on admiring her lover that she had failed to see how he briefly put down his work, looking over at Solfrid with an amused look on his face. Sigmund waited for a couple of moments, to see if she reacted at all, but it seemed like she was completely out of it. Sigmund only shook his head as he chuckled, before clearing his throat, grabbing Solfrid's attention. Solfrid snapped back to reality, looking at Sigmund, who clearly had caught her staring at him. She felt a blush rising on her cheeks before she awkwardly scratched her neck.

"Am I interrupting your daydreaming, Sol?" Sigmund asked, lightly teasing her.

He went to put the armor away before standing up, wiping his hands on the apron before approaching her. She giggled before shaking her head, smiling up at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare" That was a blatant lie, she could watch him work all day if she wanted to.

"I hope I'm not disturbing your work" She said.

"Don't worry, you could never disturb me when I'm working" Sigmund shook his head, his hands settling on her hips, pulling her close.

She smiled, her face warm, and she could easily get lost in this moment with him.

"Are you sure?" She asked and he nodded.

"I love seeing you when I work. It makes it a bit easier than having to stare at the same piece of armor all of the damn time" Sigmund jokingly said, his voice soothing.

Sigmund bent down, leaving butterfly kisses against her skin, making her giggle. She was ticklish and Sigmund was well aware of it. Before she could react, he was tickling her full-on, making her laugh out loud. She squirms underneath his touch, making him laugh as well. Solfrid was able to wriggle out of his grip, backing away from his merciless attacks. 

Sigmund began chasing her all over the back room, and in the end, was able to catch her from behind, lifting her off the ground, making her shriek in joy as she laughed. Giving her one last kiss at the crook of her neck, Sigmund let her down, turning her around so she was facing him once again. He placed his hands once more on her hips, as the two of them calmed down. In the moment, everything was perfect. He was perfect.

"How's your arm?" He asked, his voice laced with worry. She gave him a warm smile.

"It's fine for now. It doesn't hurt as much as it did before" Solfrid said and he nodded, looking relieved.

But then it hit her and she remembered what she was here for, and her smile slightly dropped. Sigmund noticed that, raising an eyebrow at her.

"What's wrong?" Sigmund asked, his thumbs mindlessly rubbing circles on her hips.

"Can I talk to you, somewhere more private maybe?" Solfrid asked him, nervously meeting his eyes.

He looked worried and for a split moment, he also looked completely panicked, like something was wrong. All the previous joy being wiped off his face. But that looked was gone within a moment, so fast it almost felt like Solfrid was imagining it. However, she was pretty sure she knew what she saw. Sigmund brushed it off, remaining calm.

"Sure" He hummed, leaning down to kiss her forehead, before letting go of her.

Sigmund took off his apron, hanging it on one of the hooks. Then he turned to her, offering his hand, which she gladly took. The two of them walked out from the back room, grabbing the attention of the blacksmith.

"I'm sorry, but I'm stealing Sigmund away for a while if that's okay" Solfrid said, to which the blacksmith nodded to.

"Just bring him back in one piece, thank you" The blacksmith joked, making her laugh.

"I promise" Solfrid said, waving at the blacksmith before leaving with Sigmund.

The couple walked out in the busy market, with Solfrid leading Sigmund down towards the lake. She knew that they would get more privacy and space to talk down there. The tall girl could also feel that the grip Sigmund had on her hand was harder than usual. His touch would often be soft, and so would it be when they held hands, but this time she couldn't sense any of his softness. Rather a tense feeling came off from Sigmund. She wondered why he had changed his mood so quickly and how he could have done it. 

He had never done it before, so why did he do it now? Neither of them said anything as they walked, passing more people who congratulated her. Solfrid would thank them and smile, their comments make her feel good. However, she failed to see how grim Sigmund looked every time someone mentioned it. Darkness washed over his face, but it disappeared as soon as Solfrid looked at him with that smile of hers. 

He would smile down at her too, managing to make it look convincing. They passed the last market stalls and came onto the path that leads down to the lake. Luckily it was large enough for them to walk side by side, as Solfrid sneakingly glanced up at Sigmund. Compared to how calm and the good mood he was in then had shifted to something else. It worried Solfrid, but she didn't mention it. When she looked forwards, towards the lake, she began to feel calm. The sunlight reflected on the water's surface, creating a beautiful sight. When the two of them reached the lake, they began walking down the beach towards a secluded area, where they would get all the privacy needed. 

As soon as they got there, Sigmund let go of her hand, making her look up at him. He wasn't looking at her, he was staring straight ahead, seeming deep in thought. Solfrid went to stand opposite him, looking at him. She took a deep breath, readying herself. But it felt off, maybe it wasn't the best moment to bring it up. Yet she had to do it, it was bothering her and she knew that nothing would change if she didn't do anything about it.

"So, about yesterday.." Solfrid began carefully, watching him.

His eyes snapped down to hers in a moment, watching her like a hawk. There he went again, his face and posture tensing up. Solfrid internally cringed, but since he didn't say anything, she continued.

"I.." She said, "I'm just going to be blunt with you. Why didn't you come to check up on me?" Solfrid asked, trying her best to not visibly cringe. She hated conflicts, especially with the ones she held dearly.

"What do you mean? I did" Sigmund said, trying to play her off.

Solfrid furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head.

"No you didn't Sigmund, I saw you helping Iðunn–" Solfrid tried, but was quickly interrupted.

"I didn't do that. You should watch what you're saying" Sigmund said lowly.

Thoughts swirled in Solfrid as she took a step backward. Why was he suddenly so upset? She was speaking the truth, why was he reacting like this? Why would he deny it?

"But you did, Sigmund. I literally watched you help her up and how you talked to her. Now, I don't mind you talking to other girls and you know that but–, why didn't you at least come and ask how I felt?" Solfrid stammered, her voice becoming slightly weaker at the end.

Sigmund's face twitched with anger as he took a step forwards, making Solfrid take a step back again. She had never seen him this upset before. Before Solfrid could react, Sigmund lunged forwards, grabbing her arm, exactly where the bandages were, making her briefly yelp in pain as he squeezed it. His eyes were completely narrowed, anger radiating off him. Solfrid was absolutely terrified, this was a new side of Sigmund she hadn't seen before. 

She began wondering if he always had been like this. But she couldn't think of one moment where he had reacted like this. Solfrid whimpered in pain as he continued to squeeze it, harder than before, while digging his nail into the wound. It was like he was doing it intentionally. Before she could stop herself, tears began forming in her widened eyes. Sigmund didn't notice it though.

"Sigmund, let me go– you're hurting me" Solfrid sobbed, trying to jerk her arm out of his steel grip.

"Listen here you little–" Sigmund growled, "I did no such thing, and do not tell me otherwise. Why are you lying?" Sigmund harshly said.

Why was he making it such a big deal? Why was he accusing her of lying when she damn well knew what she had seen? Fear spread through Solfrid. A few tears rolled down onto her color drained cheeks as she successfully yanked herself free from his grip when he tried to reach for her other arm. She hugged herself, backing away from him more, putting space between them.

"Why– I– Sigmund why would you do that?!" She asked, her bottom lip trembling as more tears rolled down onto her cheeks.

"It's wasn't a big deal, I just wanted to get some sort of explanation.." She went to wipe them away as she stared at Sigmund.

".. You didn't have to react this way" She shakily said.

It was silent for a while. The two of them just staring at each other. Slowly realization dawned upon Sigmund and his eyes widened and his face softened, but Solfrid's guard was up and she stepped backward when Sigmund tried to reach for her again. It looked like he was trying to come up with some sort of apology, but Solfrid was still hurt. She tried to hold the tears in as she let out a shaky breath.

"I'm so sorry, my Sol, I didn't mean to–" Sigmund tried but she put one of her hands up, cutting him of.

"Don't. Please don't" Solfrid said, her voice cracking at the end.

"I will let you cool down and just... I will see you later, goodbye Sigmund" Solfrid muttered, walking away.

Sigmund tried to reach for her, but she brushed him off, continuing walking. Sigmund was left standing there, looking at Solfrid's back. His face twisted with a thousand emotions before he groaned, smacking his forehead. A couple of birds flew past him, screeching as he just stared at Solfrid. Sigmund had really messed it up now. He kept muttering under his breath about how much of a fool he was, as he started to pace back and forth. He hadn't meant to snap at her like that. Now worry began growing deep down in him, as he was scared his plan wouldn't work now, and what would happen if it didn't. When he thought about that, he stopped, screaming angrily out loudly. 

Sigmund could never let Solfrid find out about his plan. Never. Iðunn just had to be the one thing that would give something away. Sigmund had really thought that he was being sneaky, as he thought that Solfrid would be busy paying attention to her brothers and friends, rather than focusing on him. And now he had hurt her too, which only made him feel more horrible about himself. He blamed himself for letting her fall this hard for him. It was all his fault and some really important people would not be so happy with him if they found out about what just had happened.

"Fuck!" He cursed before turning around and making his way towards the market again.

Solfrid had already gotten ahead of Sigmund. She was shifting between running and power walking, her tears falling freely at the moment. The tears managed to blur her vision as she quietly sobbed. She brushed some of them away, not wanting anyone to see them. Because if they would, someone would notify her father and then another shit show would start. So when she neared the village, she stopped in her tracks, brushing away all the tears, rubbing her eyes. Her chest heaving up and down at a faster pace. She didn't know what had gotten into her. Solfrid didn't mean to cry like that, and truth be told, she felt pathetic. But in the heat of the moment, she couldn't hold them in and Sigmund had actually scared her.

How could a person go from being so joyful to so angry and upset in that short span of time? Now Solfrid almost found herself dreading the evening and the feast where she would have to meet him again. Solfrid groaned as she continued power walking through the market. She tried her best to smile at the people, but it was hard when she thought about the events that just had happened. She glanced down at her bandages and saw how small, tiny drops of blood started to run down on her arm. She cursed, and rolled down her sleeve, hoping it would cover it at the moment. She pushed through the crowd and practically ran past the blacksmith's work station to avoid having any questions asked, before finally making it to the large hut. 

When she got there, she let out a breath of relief, opening the door and closing it behind her. The entire hut was mainly quiet, except the small noises that the wolfhounds were making in the kitchen area. No one had seemed to notice her coming in, as her brothers and father most likely were in the Great Hall preparing for the evening's celebration. She didn't know where her mother was at. She then quickly walked over to her room. Once she got inside her room, she gently closed the door, before turning around and sliding down against the door until she was sitting. She dragged her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She rested her chin against her knees and soon got lost in her thoughts.

Solfrid sat there for what seemed like hours, just overthinking what Sigmund had done, and what she had done to trigger than in him. It really was her fault and she couldn't stop blaming herself. She had just gone and ruined her own day, and it was her fault. She mentally applauded herself for being so stupid and for messing things up. She closed her eyes and let herself sink away, her heart heavy and her cheeks tearstained. Time went by and soon everything became black.

"Solfrid?" A soft feminine voice called from the other side of the door.

Solfrid snapped awake, as she looked around confused. All the crying had made her a bit tired, resulting in her falling asleep against her door. Quickly, she stood up, brushing herself off as she brushed some hair out of her face. She hoped she looked somewhat presentable as she opened the door, revealing her thrall, who stood there with her dress that she was going to wear for the feast, as well as combs and hair beads.

"Have I interrupted you, my princess?" The thrall, named Signe, asked carefully.

"No, not all Signe. Please come in" Solfrid said, stepping to the side, "Did mother send you?"

"Yes, my princess" Signe said and Solfrid nodded.

Solfrid closed the door behind Signe, before turning to look at the thrall. Signe was a couple of years older than herself, and even for being a thrall, she knew how to carry herself and not let others step down on her. Signe put the dress down on her bed, as well as the combs, before turning to Solfrid. She motioned for her princess to come closer, which Solfrid did. Then Signe gestured her to undress, which she also did. She stripped out of her boots, under-tunic and pants, and was left standing in her underwear. Signe looked over Solfrid, her eyes landing on the bandages on her arm, as well as the dried blood. Without saying anything, Signe unwrapped it all and went to get a soaked cloth to wash the blood off. While Signe did that, Solfrid inspected her wound. She could still see the faint markings of Sigmund's nails, which only showed how hard his grip actually had been. It made her cringe, but she didn't have time to think more of that before Signe took her arm and gently started to wash away the blood. Solfrid let Signe clean the wound and reapply new bandages.

Signe then went on to put away the cloth and grab the dress. The dress was a long dress with long sleeves, being a deep red color. It had fine detail and was overall fit for a princess like her. She watched the dress with awe, well aware that her mother had it custom made for her. Before she could take it on though, she had to put on a pair of stocks that would prevent her legs from showing if she needed to lift the dress up. They were black and secured with a leather strap just below the knee. Solfrid carefully folded the top of the stockings over the leather straps and when she was finished, Signe helped her putting the dress on. It was a perfect fit, it hugged her body nicely and it made her feel special.

When the dress was on, Signe guided Solfrid to sit down on a nearby chair, as Signe directly went to work on her hair. She undid the hairstyle Solfrid already had and began to comb through her hair, preparing it for a new style. While Signe fixed her hair, Solfrid put on three different rings she had gotten from her father. Rings that once had belonged to her grandmother, the previous queen of Björnheim. When she got those on, she put on her Mjölnir necklace. After that, she leaned backward, relaxing as she felt Signe working through her hair carefully. Signe was great at braiding and made the most beautiful styles. Solfrid closed her eyes, letting her body relax as she heard Signe's quiet, soft humming of a familiar tune.

A little bit over two hours later Signe was done and Solfrid opened her eyes again, smiling at Signe. Signe watched over her work, satisfied with it as she went to grab a round, polished piece of metal where Solfrid could see her reflection. Solfrid gasped quietly when she saw how her hair looked. It was beautifully braided, all of her hair. It was pulled into her usual half ponytail, except this time there were even more braids with even more details, some were bigger and others were smaller, all decorated with the beads. She didn't look like herself. Now she truly looked like a princess and she couldn't help herself from smiling.

"Thank you Signe, it looks amazing" She said, to which Signe only nodded with a small smile of her own.

The last touch to her look was the eyeliner, which Signe helped Solfrid apply with the black kohl. Now Solfrid was ready, just in time as a knock could be heard on the door.

"Come in" Solfrid called out.

In entered her father, dressed up for the feast in the colors of the kingdom and his jaw dropped when he saw his daughter. It took him a couple of moments before he regained himself, clearing his throat.

"Are you ready?" Asbjørn carefully asked and Solfrid nodded, standing up.

She ran her hands over the dress, correcting it, before smiling at her father. She twirled around once, giggling slightly. Pride shone in her father's eyes before he offered his arm to her. Solfrid walked over to her father, taking it.

"What do you think of the dress?" She asked.

"It fits you very well," Asbjørn said, "Let's go then" He finished.

Solfrid nodded, before waving goodbye to Signe, who gave her a small wave. The king and his princess exited their home and made their way towards the Great Hall. She had completely forgotten about Sigmund, but as they were walking towards the Great Hall, she was once again reminded of him. When her father saw her worried expression, Asbjørn reassured her that everything was going to go well. Soon enough they stood outside of the doors to the Great Hall, and Solfrid took one deep breath before pushing them open, warmly greeted by the people of Björnheim.

She smiled, as her father called out behind her.

"Let the feast begin!"

♔

 _―_ 𝚎.𝚛 _  
_


	4. chapter 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Very long chapter!! Sexual themes, gore, swearing, blood, character deaths.

❝𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢, 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐.❞ 

♔

"Let the feast begin!" Her father had called out and the grand people of Björnheim cheered.

Solfrid watched all of the people with a small awe smile on her lips. Granted, not all the people of Björnheim could fit in the Great Hall, so most who simply couldn't fit or didn't have the time to attend would come by to pay their respects and congratulate the princess on her big day. Solfrid was grateful for all of this, as warmth spread through her body. She could feel her father wrap an arm around her shoulders as he began leading her through the crowd of people. She tried her best to answer and thank everyone who congratulated her, but it was a bit hard, considering how many said it at the same time. 

She tried her best, however, cheering with people and briefly laughing with them. The Great Hall was lit up by candles and the large fire that was now present in the large fire pit in the middle of it all. It painted the Great Hall and the people in a red, orange, and yellow hue. Overall, the atmosphere was great and comfortable, and it smelled so deliciously of food and mead. Her pale, ice blue colors traveled all over the room, in search of familiar faces. While looking, Solfrid could see the thralls running around, keeping everything in order just so there wouldn't be a problem, and by them doing that, they allowed the feast to go on smoothly, which made Solfrid even feel more grateful. 

She made a mental note to thank every thrall personally tomorrow. It made her so warm and happy to see them work like that, for her sake. She didn't know what she had done to deserve that. While she was busy appreciating everything that was going on, she failed to notice her aunt Ása, her husband, and their daughter, as well as her mother Dagmær approaching her and her father. Solfrid was snapped out of her daze when her aunt spoke up.

"Oh my, you look so beautiful Solfrid! But I thought your dress was going to be a short-sleeved one?" Ása gushed, giving Solfrid a bone-crushing hug.

Solfrid awkwardly chuckled, patting her aunt's back, before Ása pulled away.

"Thank you, aunt Ása" Solfrid thanked her, before continuing.

"Well, I changed my mind and mother was quick enough to get it changed. I thought it would look better" Solfrid smiled.

Ása nodded understandably, before turning to her brother as she started to talk to him. Solfrid greeted her Ása's husband and their daughter, her cousin, with a small wave. Then she turned her attention to her mother, who stood there, watching Solfrid with love radiating off of her. Solfrid smiled at her mother before engulfing her in a bear hug.

"Oh my little bear, you look like a true queen now" Dagmær whispered in Solfrid's ear, making Solfrid giggle.

"Stop it mother" Solfrid jokingly said as the two of them let go of each other.

Dagmær held Solfrid's face in her hands, squeezing her apple cheeks together.

"My baby is finally growing up, oh how will I survive?" The Queen said dramatically, making Solfrid laugh out loud.

Suddenly, she was squeezed against her mother, feeling multiple arms wrapped around her. The princess let out a surprised squeal, as the entire royal family now was squeezed into one large family hug. Asbjørn, Njáll, and Úlfr hugged the two of them tightly, laughing at Solfrid's surprised noise. Soon enough, they let go of each other as Njáll and Úlfr were smirking down at Solfrid.

"Happy birthday baby sister" Úlfr said, trying to ruffle her hair.

Solfrid was quick to smack his hand away though, as she was about to scold him, but she stopped when she saw the strict, yet playful gaze their mother gave her. The princess rolled her eyes before a sly grin made it onto her lips.

"Thank you very much, old man" Solfrid said, making Úlfr choke on air.

"Hey– what the– I'm only three summers older than you!" Úlfr argued, making Njáll laugh while dunking his little brother's back.

"Happy birthday, Sol" Njáll warmly said, while still dunking on Úlfr's back, as he continued to cough.

"Thank you, big brother" Solfrid said.

"Let's find the others and feast on the delicious food" Njáll said, wrapping his arms around both Solfrid and Úlfr's shoulders.

Njáll bid a quick farewell over his shoulder to their parents as he escorted his younger siblings through the crowd. Music was playing loudly in the background, Solfrid humming along.

"You look really good in that dress though, Solfrid" Úlfr complimented, making Solfrid grin.

"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself for once" Solfrid teased, making Úlfr gasp mockingly.

"Oh why you little–" Úlfr began before Njáll shushed the two of them.

Soon enough they found Jórunnr, Hálfdan, Þórfreðr, Eindriði and last, but not least, Arnbjǫrg. But no Sigmund. Solfrid felt a little disappointed at first but later realized that he probably only was away to get some mead or something. She brushed those feelings away, focusing on her friends rather than him. Memories from earlier today came flooding back, but she shook her head, clearing her mind from them. They were all chatting amongst each other, wearing their fanciest clothing. 

Jórunnr's blonde hair was braided into a braid crown, leaving no hair to be let down. She wore a deep blue dress that matched her eyes very well. Arnbjǫrg wore a golden dress, her ginger hair braided beautifully. The boys' hair was braided as well, making them look more formal than usual. Most of them were drinking mead, so when the trio approached them, Hálfdan began choking on his mead as he looked up and down on Solfrid, not so discreetly. 

Þórfreðr began dunking on his back, while Solfrid and the others burst out laughing. A blush coated the younger boy's cheeks as he tried to recover.

"H–hi Solfrid" Hálfdan said between coughs.

"You look really pretty" He complimented, gasping for air.

"Thank you Hálfdan" Solfrid said, feeling just a little bit bad for the younger lad.

Njáll soon let go of his younger siblings as they all began chatting with each other. Not too long after that, they made their way over to the long tables, where they sat down and began feasting on the food. It tasted heavenly, and Solfrid thanked the Gods for the thralls who made these delicious dishes. Hálfdan was seated on her left side, Eindriði on her right and Arnbjǫrg on the opposite of her. Solfrid was engaged in a conversation with Arnbjǫrg, eating and sipping on some of her mead. 

She wasn't the biggest fan of the honey tasting wine, but she drank it nonetheless. It had been a while and she still hadn't seen Sigmund at all. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked around the Great Hall. No sight of him.

"Have Sigmund been here at all?" Solfrid asked Arnbjǫrg, however, the ginger had no chance of answering before Hálfdan chimed in.

"Nope. We haven't seen him, not even when we got here" Hálfdan said before drinking more of his mead.

Solfrid looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. Realizing that he had just interrupted their conversation, Hálfdan smiled at them sheepishly before muttering a sorry.

"Really?" Solfrid asked and Arnbjǫrg nodded.

Solfrid sighed, thinking back to their argument earlier that day. When she saw that neither Njáll nor Úlfr paid attention to her, she leaned slightly forwards, which made Arnbjǫrg do the same thing.

"Well, me and Sigmund talked earlier today. Or, well, more so that we argued. I asked him about yesterday since I just wanted to get some answers. And then it was like he completely lost it– he lunged forwards at me and grabbed my arm where my wound is and he kept pushing his nails into the wound even when I begged him to stop" Solfrid confessed, as she could see how Arnbjǫrg's eyebrows narrowed through her short story.

Anger and confusion swirled in Arnbjǫrg's hazel green eyes. Her fists clenched, her knuckles slightly turning white.

"Are you fucking serious?" Arnbjǫrg whispered harshly. "What has gotten into him?" Arnbjǫrg borderline growled.

Solfrid simply shrugged, since she didn't know herself what had gotten into her lover. The princess hadn't noticed that both Hálfdan and Eindriði had eavesdropped on their whispering conversation. Suddenly, Solfrid jumped when Hálfdan slammed his cup down. Solfrid looked over at the younger boy, who was about to rant, but before he could do that, Solfrid hurried to slam her hand over his mouth, her eyes wide. His amber eyes stared at her in surprise and embarrassment, as Solfrid casted a glance over towards Njáll and Úlfr, who luckily hadn't noticed the commotion. They were happily talking, eating, and laughing away with Þórfreðr and Jórunnr. Arnbjǫrg sent a pointed glare at Eindriði who was also about to speak up.

"Shh, Hálfdan, not a word about this, loudly, to anybody" Solfrid hissed at him.

For a moment, Hálfdan looked at Solfrid with awe, before he snapped out of it and nodded his head. Slowly, Solfrid removed her hand, before looking over at Eindriði, giving the same pointing glare as Arnbjǫrg gave him. She looked between the two boys, narrowed eyes.

"Neither of you shall say a word about this to the others. It's just a.. small bump between me and Sigmund, nothing more than that" Solfrid began, before continuing.

"And it's my day today, yeah? Let's just enjoy this feast" The princess finished, as the two of them stubbornly nodded their heads, obeying their princess.

Solfrid looked back at Arnbjǫrg. Even though her voice was strong and confident, her eyes were easily read and Arnbjǫrg understood that it was more than just a small bump between the lovers. Arnbjǫrg, not wanting to see her best friend in a sad mood on her special day, decided to take Solfrid's mind of those sour thoughts. Once they had finished eating, Arnbjǫrg drank the last of her mead in one go, before standing up with a dramatic gesture towards the middle of the Great Hall where people had begun dancing. Solfrid looked at Arnbjǫrg, surprised at first, before it clicked for Solfrid, knowing exactly what Arnbjǫrg wanted her to do. Solfrid stood up with a grin on her lips, as the two girls hurried over towards the crowd of dancing people. 

The rest of their friend group was left stunned for a moment before they understood what the two of them were about to do. They soon followed suit, Eindriði asking Jórunnr to dance with him, while the other boys went to find their own dances, Solfrid and Arnbjǫrg missing the jealous glare Úlfr sent them, secretly cursing Solfrid out for stealing his crush away. Arnbjǫrg had grabbed Solfrid's hand, surrounded by happy and drunk men and women who wear dancing their hearts out to the music played by the lovely band. Solfrid placed her other hand in Arnbjǫrg's as they started to dance. They twirled, jumping around in circles as their waves of laughter echoed through the Great Hall. Arnbjǫrg began mocking one of the Jarls dancing, to which Solfrid quickly followed suit, playing along while laughing at Arnbjǫrg's facial expressions. 

They danced and danced, as Solfrid could spot Njáll secretly making out with one of the thralls in a secluded corner of the Great Hall. Solfrid stopped in her tracks, and so did Arnbjǫrg, as Solfrid discreetly pointed over to the pair making out. Arnbjǫrg gasped, her eyes wide before she started to laugh once more. Solfrid couldn't help it, as she too began laughing. Njáll had never been too good at hiding things like that from people. Solfrid and Arnbjǫrg began dancing once again, jumping, clapping their hands to the music as both of them sang along, in particular Solfrid, who poured her heart out to the sound of her favorite melody. Jórunnr and a few other girls came up and joined Solfrid and Arnbjǫrg, all of them dancing in a large circle, their hands intertwined. Solfrid found herself in the middle of the girls' circle, twirling away as they cheered her on. It seemed like the evening would never end, her laughter mixed with song ringing clearly through the Great Hall. She came to a stop, breathing heavily with a large smile on her face. Sweat laid in a thin coat over her forehead as she felt like she was in a true state of euphoria. 

At this very moment, all the sadness she had felt disappeared. In her state of mind, she had forgiven Sigmund. She wouldn't dwell on it anymore. She simply didn't care. Not right not, at least. A thrall came by, offering Solfrid a bit of mead, which she took. The drink burned her throat as she drank, the honey taste became somewhat overwhelming but in a positive way. She happily thanked the thrall for the mead and her service, before returning the cup. Solfrid could see the small smile on the lips of the thrall before the thrall disappeared into the crowd, making her feel happier. When Solfrid turned back towards Arnbjǫrg, she saw Arnbjǫrg and Úlfr occupied with dancing. A sly smirk formed on her face as she was well aware of his obvious crush on her best friend. 

Everybody except Arnbjǫrg knew about Úlfr's crush. Arnbjǫrg was rather dense when it came to the love side of things. Solfrid could feel a light tap on her shoulder, as she turned around to look at who it was. Her eyes met a pair of amber-colored ones, which belonged to no other than Hálfdan. The younger boy's cheeks and ears were red, both from a blush and the alcohol he had drunk through the evening. He smiled shyly, before speaking up.

"Can I have a dance with you, my princess?" He asked, his voice small.

Her face softened as she nodded, giving him her hand.

"Of course, since you asked so nicely" Solfrid hummed with a playful tone.

Hálfdan giggled, a drunken hiccup following as he grabbed her hand and began dancing. The melody playing was one slower than the others, so the two of them swayed to it, Hálfdan stepping on Solfrid's feet every now and then, apologizing profusely while Solfrid just laughed it off, assuring him that it was fine. Soon enough his hands were awkwardly hovering above Solfrid's waist, while her hands rested on his shoulders. Solfrid didn't mind that he was a bit shorter than her, reassuring him that it was okay. The two of them continued to sway, making small talk while Solfrid giggle every now and then.

"Hey, Solfrid?" Hálfdan asked, making her look at him.

She hummed a yes, waiting for him to continue. His cheeks became even redder, making her smile wide at him, finding it adorable.

"There is this thrall girl.. that I really like. But I don't know how to approach her" Hálfdan said, unsureness coating his voice.

"And.. well, she's very close to you. Do you have any advice?" Hálfdan asked, meeting Solfrid's pale eyes, which only held admiration for him.

Hálfdan had always been the bold one of them all, close behind Arnbjǫrg, but Solfrid had never seen him this vulnerable before.

"What is her name?" Solfrid asked, and Hálfdan cleared his throat before muttering.

"Signe"

Solfrid looked at him with wide eyes, before she laughed a joyful laugh.

"Signe? My Signe? Oh, Hálfdan, don't you worry, I will definitely help you out with this" Solfrid said, happy for Hálfdan.

"I have good advice for you, my pupil, but we shall take that tomorrow since you're probably a bit too drunk now" Solfrid laughed.

"I want you to be able to remember everything I tell you" She teased and Hálfdan rolled his eyes.

"But Signe? Really? It seems like you have a thing for older women, do you not?" Solfrid laughed.

"I– shut up, Solfrid! It's not a big deal, I'm only a year younger than you anyways, so it isn't that bad" Hálfdan grumbled, making Solfrid laugh harder.

The two of them continued dancing for a while before the melodies once more became more upbeat. Solfrid thanked Hálfdan for the dance, sending him a knowing smirk before leaving the dancing crowd. She turned around to watch the crowd dance as she smiled to herself. She felt someone wrap an arm around her waist, as she turned her head to look at her side, revealing her mother who stood there with a proud smile on her lips.

"How are you enjoying the feast, dear?" Dagmær asked quietly.

"I'm enjoying it very much, mother. I've had so much fun dancing with the girls" Solfrid said, making her mother's smile widen.

"I'm glad to hear that. Your singing was on point, too" She gushed, making the tips of Solfrid's ears turn red at the compliment.

"Stop it mother" Solfrid whined, embarrassed.

Dagmær laughed, before kissing her daughter's cheek affectionately. Asbjørn came up behind them, wrapping his arms around them, bringing them in for a hug. He teased Solfrid a bit, saying how he had seen how many admirers he had witnessed staring at her with heart eyes. Solfrid blushed, begging her father to stop with the teasing. Asbjørn kissed his wife and kissed his daughter's head, squeezing them tightly.

"Happy birthday once again, my Sol. We love you so much" Asbjørn said to his daughter.

Solfrid got warm inside.

"I love you too" She said back to them, happy to share these tender moments with her family and friends.

"Have you seen the way Njáll has been making out with that thrall? Thinking he was hiding enough for us to not notice?" Asbjørn said, making Solfrid look at her father before bursting out laughing.

Dagmær began laughing too, followed by Asbjørn's thundering laughter. It was moments like this that really could make you doubt the fact that Asbjørn is the Fearless Skull King, leader of the Berserk army.

"Father!" Solfrid said between breaths, not believing her father actually had said that.

Their little moment was interrupted when Jórunnr walked up to them, a sheepish smile on her lips.

"Is it okay if I steal the Princess away for a moment, your highnesses?" Jórunnr asked.

"We don't mind at all, hun" Dagmær was quick to say, as she made her husband release his grip on his daughter.

Solfrid smiled at her parents, excusing herself as she linked her arms with Jórunnr. The two of them began walking towards the doors of the Great Hall.

"I just need to take a breather, it gets pretty tiring dancing with Eindriði, who's only goal in mind is to bed me tonight" Jórunnr whispered, laughter following her comment.

Solfrid looked at Jórunnr with wide eyes, before snorting. Eindriði had always been a player, and these news didn't exactly surprise her.

"Don't do anything out there that I wouldn't do!" Solfrid could hear the voice of her father shout, making her look over her shoulder at him, mouth agape.

"Father!" She said loudly, before shaking her head and following Jórunnr out.

The two girls were greeted by the chill summer air, as both of them took a deep breath.

"It's nice to get some fresh air, isn't it?" Jórunnr smiled, Solfrid nodding in agreement.

They made their way over to the stairs, sitting down. The two of them had known each other for a long while, Jórunnr being the fourth person to join the group of friends. Solfrid and Jórunnr got on nicely with each other and hardly fought, ever. The two of them engaged in small talk, all in a comfortable atmosphere.

"Has anything happened between you and Sigmund?" Jórunnr asked, looking over at her close friend.

Solfrid glanced at Jórunnr, before looking forwards again. All the time she had danced she had completely forgotten about him, and it made her feel a bit shameful. She hadn't even tried to look for him, which now made her feel guilty about it. Solfrid filled her in on what had happened earlier today, Jórunnr listening closely and paying attention to everything the princess said.

"That's just.. not like him. I wonder if something has happened to him" Jórunnr began, making Solfrid look over at her friend.

"I've noticed a change in him. It started two weeks ago but I just.. didn't have the gut to say anything to you about it. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, I'm sorry Solfrid" Jórunnr confessed, then apologized sincerely.

Solfrid knew that Jórunnr came from a good place, so she accepted the apology. It felt relieving to Solfrid to hear that someone had noticed that Sigmund was acting strangely, too, it made her feel like she wasn't imagining things.

"It's okay, Jórunnr. I understand why you would hold it to yourself" Solfrid said, seeing how Jórunnr relaxed.

"I just hope we're going to be able to work through it.." Solfrid whispered, more to herself, but Jórunnr still heard it.

The older girl placed a hand on Solfrid's shoulder, smiling reassuringly at her. Solfrid returned her smile, happy that she had this conversation with Jórunnr. Out of seemingly nowhere, the sound of an empty mead barrel falling over and crashing against something made the two girls snap their heads towards the source of the sound. Solfrid raised her eyebrows, wondering what that was about before she looked over at Jórunnr, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. Suddenly feeling a bit adventurous, Solfrid looked at Jórunnr with a playful smile forming, as she stood up and brushed her dress of.

"Should we check it out?" Solfrid asked, and Jórunnr soon began smirking, standing up as well.

"It could be Njáll. I saw him sneak out with that thrall a while ago" Jórunnr said, making Solfrid look at her with surprise written all over her face before it turned to something smugger.

Solfrid grabbed Jórunnr's hand as they both sneaked towards the huts, where the sound came from. When they arrived at the huts, the two of them slowly peaked their heads from the front side of the hut, towards the alley between the two standing huts. What they had expected turned out to be something far worse than interrupting your big brother and a thrall possibly having sex. 

There stood no other than Sigmund, his head leaning against the wall of the hut, mouth slightly agape as one of his hands rested in Iðunn's auburn brown hair, as her mouth was completely wrapped around his cock. Solfrid's face completely drained of all its color, her smug smile dropping as she just watched in complete shock and horror at what was happening.

"Thank the Gods you're finally able to do this.. that stupid little bitch never wanted to do something with me, all the times I tried anything she just said she wasn't ready for it" Sigmund moaned, loud enough for Solfrid to hear.

Iðunn briefly stopped, looking up at Sigmund.

"We will soon be able to celebrate properly" Iðunn purred, making Sigmund smirk.

"Yes, yes we will" He agreed.

However, their heads snapped towards a strangled noise. Even though neither of them could see anything, they became more alert.

"What was that?" Iðunn asked as she got off her knees and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

"I don't know" Sigmund hissed, clearly frustrated that the two of them had been cut off.

The taller boy put back his cock into his trousers, before walking towards the corner of the hut. When he arrived there, he couldn't see anything. He looked around, and towards the Great Hall, but no one was there. It must be the paranoia reaching his head, he thought to himself, as he let out a frustrated sigh. He looked over his shoulder, back at Iðunn.

"There is no one here. Let's get this feast properly started, shall we?" He asked and Iðunn smirked.

Sigmund had completely missed Solfrid and Jórunnr rushing back to the Great Hall. Solfrid hadn't meant to let that noise out, it was like her body completely shut down and she was no longer in control. The princess felt like her entire world had just been turned upside down and it felt like she was imagining things. But she hadn't. Deep, deep down she knew that she hadn't imagined that awful scene. There Sigmund had stood, with Iðunn, talking shit about how Solfrid wasn't ready to go that far with him yet. How could she had been so foolish? How hadn't she seen the signs that something was going on between the two of them? How many times had Sigmund gone behind her back to be with that awful human being? Both of them were awful. So many mixed emotions went through Solfrid's head as she couldn't help but replay that scene over and over in her head. It made her heart sink and crush at the same time. Had she not given him enough? He had told her beforehand that it had been okay if she wasn't ready. She thought that he could have been patient with her. 

But doing this, on her special day of all days? Maybe she should be thankful for not giving Sigmund such a precious thing as her virginity. But her vision was blurry with hot tears, which she quickly brushed away as Jórunnr lead her away. Luckily they had gotten inside the Great Hall just as Sigmund had begun looking. 

Jórunnr directly lead Solfrid towards one of the backrooms, catching the attention of both Arnbjǫrg and her mother Dagmær. The two of them weren't able to get too far though since Dagmær was able to catch up with the two girls. Dagmær grabbed her daughter's shoulders, turning her around to face her. Solfrid's eyes were glossy and she refused to make eye contact with her mother. The kohl around her eyes was slightly smeared and the queen was confused as to why Solfrid was upset.

"What has happened? Solfrid, dear, why–" She began to talk, but cut herself off when she saw that she wouldn't get a clear answer from her daughter.

The queen turned her attention to Jórunnr instead, worry shining in her eyes.

"Jórunnr? What happened?" She gently demanded to know.

Jórunnr looked between Solfrid and her queen, before turning her eyes down to the floor.

"Well– we were outside and we heard this noise and we thought it was Njáll and the thrall messing around so we thought it would be a good idea to prank him but.. but it turned out to be Sigmund and Iðunn messing around with each other.. sexually" Jórunnr spilled.

The queen looked at the girl, shock written all over her face before it turned into anger and hurt.

"Is that true, Solfrid?" Dagmær growled, though her anger was not directed towards her daughter, rather it was directed towards the scum that dared to call himself Solfrid's lover.

After a couple of moments, Solfrid whispered a weak yes. No tears had fallen yet as shock still had its grip on her. She felt rather numb. Slowly, she looked up at her mother, sniffling as she could see the emotions on her mother's face. Just as she was about to speak, however, a bloodcurdling feminine scream echoed through the Great Hall. 

And suddenly Solfrid felt a hot liquid splash all over her face and neck, it smelled of iron. An unsettling familiar smell of blood. When she came back to it, she looked at her mother's face. Her mouth was covered in blood, as it dripped from her chin. All of the colors paled on her mother's face. When she looked down, she could see the arrowhead sticking out from her mother. Solfrid drew a sharp breath as she looked at her mother's face once again. Her eyes, which at one point was full of life, were slowly becoming dull.

"Mother?" Solfrid whispering, her voice cracking.

She could hear Jórunnr throwing up. But the look on her mother's face was one she would never forget. It was like she was there one moment, and the next, she wasn't. Her mother's body went limp as Solfrid reached her arms out to catch her. Her mother's body tumbled to the floor as Solfrid held onto her. Dagmær's eyes flickered from the ceiling onto her daughter's face. Dagmær whimpered in pain, as Solfrid sat there, dumbstruck, not knowing what to do.

"Mother? Oh Gods, oh no, oh no–" Solfrid began rambling as she realized what had happened.

For a split second, Solfrid looked up, just in time to see her father getting an axe right to the face, cutting Asbjørn's head in half. Solfrid gaped, not believing what she was seeing. A strangled shriek mixed with a cry escaped her lips as she watched in horror, as strange and unfamiliar soldiers barged in. She couldn't see her brothers or friends anywhere, however, she could see the soldiers attacking the crowd, the screaming intensifying as she saw many more people dying in front of her. 

Solfrid looked down at her mother again, who was crying at this point. Tears began to well up in Solfrid's eyes once more, as she cried out in horror. Solfrid held her mother's face in her hands, chanting no over and over again, crying harder as she saw her mother's chest stop heaving. Her mother's body went completely limp in her arms, her mother's eyes rolling back into the back of her head.

"Mother no!" Solfrid cried out, screaming in absolute horror.

Solfrid cried. She cried hard, harder than she ever had done before. Her lips were trembling as she began hyperventilating.

"Mother, mother no, Gods, no" She cried. More screaming from her people rang in her ears.

A hand wrapped around her upper arm, yanking her away from her mother's corpse. She cried even harder, not wanting to leave her mother's side as she tried to fight the person off.

"Solfrid stop struggling– we have to get out of here" Jórunnr's desperate voice begged.

Solfrid couldn't help it. After some more struggling from Solfrid's part, the princess reluctantly gave up. She allowed herself to be dragged off, out through one of the backrooms and through the backdoor. Her body was numb as tears streamed down her bloodied face. Arnbjǫrg had somehow managed to catch up with the two girls, noticing the distressed state of Solfrid. Arnbjǫrg immediately went to help Jórunnr, grabbing Solfrid's other arm as they hurried towards the royal stables. 

Solfrid casted a glance over her shoulder, seeing everything in flames. The market, all the huts. The people of Björnheim running frantically around, trying to put out the fires. This had to be some sort of sick nightmare. It had to. This couldn't be real, Solfrid tried to deny it. She would wake up soon. Yeah, this was just a nightmare. Wake up, wake up, wake up, she repeated to herself, yet it didn't work. 

The trio had made their way to the stable, where the stablehands had already finished up two horses. They were trained for this sort of situation, where the goal was for them to get the royal family quickly to safety. Jórunnr mounted one of the horses, whilst Arnbjǫrg mounted the other. The stables helped a seemingly limp Solfrid up behind Arnbjǫrg. Solfrid was seated in a sidesaddle seat. Her arms wrapped around Arnbjǫrg's waist. Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg exchanged glances as they began riding, Arnbjǫrg being in the lead. 

As they were leaving everything behind, Solfrid could see Njáll, followed by Úlfr stumbling out of the burning Great Hall. Solfrid began screaming after them, her voice strained. She choked, sobbed, sniffled as she watched her two brothers disappear further away as the horses were beginning to gallop.

"Njáll! Úlfr! ugh–" Solfrid's desperate cries rang through the air.

The three girls left their home behind, which was now getting swallowed by flames so large they looked like they reached the sky. Solfrid's home was now in flames, there was nothing she could do about it. Her heart ached like it never had done before and now she had been forced to flee the only safe place she knew, leaving her brother's behind. The princess could only pray that they would survive, guilt running through her veins.

Oh, why did the Gods have to be so cruel? What had she done to deserve this? 

♔

_―_ 𝚎.𝚛 


	5. chapter 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Angst.

❝𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎, 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕.❞

♔

_A high pitched squeal left the young girl. She was running around, holding her light-colored dress up so she wouldn't fall over herself. A flower crown made out of seven different flower types rested upon her head, the ash blonde hair braided into one single braid. She was laughing, mocking her brother's who tried to chase after her. Their parents were sitting on a single blanket, holding each other as they watched their children run around._

_The large meadow surrounding them was filled with all sorts of beautiful flowers, making it look like a secret paradise, and not too far away the birds sang. A crystal clear blue sky accompanied the family, as no clouds could be seen and the sun stood high upon the sky. Tor had blessed them with this nice weather._

_"You can never take me!" The young girl shrieked at her brothers', which only made them go faster._

_All of the children were laughing, the sounds being like music to their parents' ears. Their mother held a warm smile on her lips as she watched with amusement. Every time the little girl's brothers almost would catch up to her, she would take a sharp turn and loose them for a single second before they were at her heels again._

_This time the young girl was sprinting towards her parents with a large, toothy smile on her lips. She ran up to them, taking their father as a shield against the two oncoming brothers. The young girl was hiding behind their father, thinking her hiding spot was the most brilliant one._

_"Where could she possibly be, hm?" The oldest of them all asked, rubbing his chin playfully._

_"Yeah! Yeah, where could she be?" The younger brother also asked, mimicking his older brother._

_The father looked at his sons, playing completely clueless._

_"I have no idea what the two of you are talking about" The king said, sounding very convincing, but he had to fight a grin that was making its way onto his face._

_Suddenly a little head peeked from behind the king's shoulder, two pale eyes looking smugly at the two boys. The two boys shared a look before looking at their father._

_"Are you sure about that, father?" The oldest asked as their father nodded, looking very serious._

_Soon enough the youngest brother lunged forwards, rounding their father and scaring his sister in the process. The young girl shrieked, giggling as she ran away once again. Only this time, their father joined the hunt after the little girl._

_"Father, help me!" The young girl called as her brother's almost caught her._

_One moment she was on the ground, the next she was in her father's arms, he had swiftly caught her and swooped her into his embrace. The young girl clung onto her father, sticking her tongue out at her brother's who only watched her with a pout on their faces. She giggled as her father kissed her head, as he began walking over to the queen._

_His son's following after him. The queen sat there, a large and heartwarming smile on her face as she adored her little family. Everything was seemingly perfect, and for a moment, it seemed like it never would come to an end. This was a dream they lived in, and both the king and queen knew that both of them would treasure this moment forever. It was like a dream, and she never wanted to wake up._

A pair of tired eyes snapped open, a strangled gasp echoing through the trees. The slumped over girl had been snapped out of her seemingly never-ending dream. A dream, which was a memory too painful to think about. A memory that reminded her that she no longer had her parents. The princess could feel a stray tear on her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. Solfrid had been crying, and so had the heavenly kingdom above. She just couldn't stop. The sadness she felt crushed her entirely. It felt like someone had taken a huge chunk out of her heart and destroyed it. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop weeping.

It hurt, both emotionally and physically. The princess readjusted herself behind Arnbjǫrg, squeezing her best friend's waist slightly to let her know that Solfrid was awake. If the gasp hadn't given it away. Solfrid could see Arnbjǫrg slightly glance over her shoulder, giving the princess a sad, faint smile. The trio had been riding for two days, heading north. It hadn't been long after the three of them had fled the village that the rain started to pour down, soaking the horses and the girls. Neither of them knew where they were going to end up. They had stopped twice, only to let the horses rest. When they came to the first stop, they stopped by a smaller creak. 

Solfrid had with shaky movements gotten off the horse and stumbled towards the water. When she had reached the creak, the princess had fallen onto her knees, staring at her reflection on the water surface. Solfrid had noticed how beautifully the raindrops fell on the surface, creating a beautiful illusion that fed a curious soul, but that had been destroyed when she met her own eyes. The princess's face was covered in dried blood and smeared kohl. Her scleras were bloodshot, intensifying the color of her eyes. Her pale cheeks were tearstained. Solfrid looked like a complete mess and she couldn't bear to look at herself. Especially when her own mother's blood covered her face and neck. Quickly, Solfrid had cupped her hands and splashed her face, before rubbing it all away. She had erased the evidence of what had happened. But the image of it would never leave her. 

After that, the girls had been riding on, not stopping until all of them, including the horses, were exhausted. Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg had tried their best to set up a makeshift shelter, while Solfrid had gone off to search for some sort of herbs or something else that was edible. During all of this time, it was raining. The sky had been gray for Gods know how long. It had seemed like it never would end. Solfrid had found some blueberries, raspberries, cloudberries, and roots. That night the girls had eaten what Solfrid had found in silence, and afterwards gotten some well deserved rest. Or, at least Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg got to rest properly. 

The princess couldn't fall asleep. She was afraid. Solfrid was afraid that she would have to relive those final moments, but she even a princess like her couldn't fight off sleep. Eventually, sleep embraced her, and as she had feared, the vivid images of her parent's slaughters were on full display and she couldn't do anything about it. She felt so powerless. That nightmare had been so raw and unfiltered. She had woken up from that nightmare screaming, crying. Arnbjǫrg had awoken immediately, and when the ginger had seen the distraught mood Solfrid was in, Arnbjǫrg had embraced her and comforted her, wiping away her tears and soothed her until the princess had somewhat calmed down. 

Sometime later they were on the path again, still heading north. Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg had come up with the plan to lay low for another few days, before turning around and heading back to the village. But the two girls also had to think of their own safety, as well as the safety of their friend and princess. Solfrid had been riding behind Arnbjǫrg the entire time, snoozing of every now and then. The rain had briefly stopped, but then it came back, this time as a light drizzle, sparing the trio from getting completely soaked. As Solfrid sat there, her mind began wandering again. 

To her parents. To her brothers. Njáll and Úlfr. Are they okay? Are they still alive? Did they manage to fight off the intruders? What if they hadn't made it? Suddenly it felt like some stabbed her in the heart. She couldn't bear to think about it. Solfrid truly didn't know what to do if she were to loose her brother's too. She couldn't bear to stand the thought of losing her entire family without knowing why. Why had they been attacked? What had her family done to provoke such a savage attack? Solfrid vaguely remembered the colors that the intruders wore. A shade of blue and silver. 

The princess had never seen those colors mixed together before, and she had been taught which colors were associated with every kingdom in Scandinavia. No kingdom in Scandinavia had the colors blue and silver. Who were they? Perhaps they were outsiders from another place. Solfrid had heard those glorious tales from men who went on raids far away, but nothing more than that. 

These thoughts swirled in her head, making her zoom out, not paying attention to anything. Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg shared a glance when they noticed that the light drizzle had stopped. The two of them glanced back at a spaced out Solfrid, but neither of them thought about it for too long. The trio continued with their ride for, as the sun traveled all over the sky before finally settling at the horizon.

"Let's stop here and find a spot where we can build a shelter" Jórunnr said once they had reached a large flowing stream.

Solfrid had snapped out of her trance, now looking at Jórunnr with tired eyes. The princess noticed Jórunnr taking in all of their surroundings before nodding to her left. Arnbjǫrg had seen Jórunnr's gesture, and began following her. They rode upstreams for a while, before Jórunnr pointed out a small cave. It was the perfect size and the girls would easily fit in there together. Jórunnr was the first one to dismount and lead her mount towards the cave. She tied the horse to the nearest tree before entering the cave, checking so everything would be okay. Which it was. Jórunnr peaked out, motioning for the two girls to follow her lead. Arnbjǫrg dismounted first, followed by Solfrid. Solfrid went to the cave while Arnbjǫrg tied their horse next to Jórunnr's. 

Solfrid's eyes looked around the cave. It was large, so there wouldn't be any issues fitting. It was dry, and somewhat warm. Arnbjǫrg walked past her, as the two girls began to work on a fire. Solfrid helped, doing whatever she could for them. After having everything fixed, including tacking of the horses, the trio sat around the fire. It wasn't a large fire, but it was big enough to keep the cave lit so that they would be able to see properly. Being in a somewhat soaked dress without being able to change wasn't the most comfortable thing, yet the young girls had adapted, since they really couldn't do anything about it. Soon enough, both Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg had went to sleep. 

The princess envied how easily they could just fall asleep, but as those thoughts passed her mind, she shook her head, rubbing her temples. It wasn't fair of her to be jealous of her friends. Instead, she tried to sleep. She had to. Her body was starting to become heavy with exhaustion, and she could barely hold her eyes open. Solfrid slowly laid down next to Arnbjǫrg, resting her head on the other half of the fur-covered saddle. Her eyes closed, ever so slowly, before Solfrid uncomfortably let the darkness consume her. 

However, it didn't take long before the princess sat up with a forced cry mixed with a gasp. Her entire body had jerked her awake, new, fresh tears streaming down her face as her underlip trembled. She smacked a hand over her mouth, casting a fearful glance towards Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg, afraid that she had woken them up. 

But to her relief, she hadn't. Her two friends were still heavily asleep, and Solfrid could pick up the softest of snores coming from Arnbjǫrg in her panicked state. Solfrid was borderline hyperventilating as she stood up and stumbled towards the exit of the cave. It was in the middle of the summer night, and it wasn't so dark, however it was raining, heavily, once again. She stood in the opening of the cave, watching the cave as tears continued to roll down onto her cheeks. She knew that it was going to be hard to recover from this. She knew that this certainly had changed her.

A piece of her fragile heart was now missing and nothing could ever replace it. It would take a long time for her to grieve her loss, and she wished she was able to do it properly. But to make things worse, she would most likely miss their funeral, being out here in the forest. Her face scrunched up, as she sobbed. 

The princess cursed herself for losing control like this over her own emotions. She cursed herself for not sensing this chaos earlier. She cursed herself for going out with Jórunnr, she cursed herself for being weak in front of her mother and she hated herself for making her mother upset the last moments she would had in this realm. She knew that neither of her parents would be able to Valhalla now. They hadn't died an honorable death, and she cried harder when she thought about the fact that they most likely were going to be stuck in Helheim for the rest of the entirety. They would be stuck in that cold, miserable place forever. 

Solfrid wept, falling down on her knees as the rain seemed to pour heavily at this point. Her feelings were all over the place, as she felt herself breaking more. Her entire body was shaking, as wind began to pick up. The trees around them began swaying, as the wind which traveled through them almost sounded like whispers from the forest's many souls. The sky above became darker, soon filled with black clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance. After a couple of moments, she wiped her cheeks with the deep red sleeve of her dress. Solfrid looked up towards the sky as she stood up on wobbly legs. 

Her expression went from a sad, heartbroken one to a angered, furious one. Her bloodshot scleras made the place ice blue colors of her sharp eyes stand out even more, as it almost looked like they shined. She was going to do something that she probably was going to regret later, but she needed to take let her feelings out. The princess began cursing the Gods out, loudly, but her voice slowly drowned in the sound of the down pouring rain. 

She cursed Oden, Tor, Tyr, to name a few. She cursed them for not giving any of them a sign of what was supposed to happen on her feast. She cursed Skuld for not giving her a vision of the massacre.

Her voice was filled with rage, poison, grief, and heartbreak as she went on. She went on and on until her voice became hoarse, but she was able to utter one last sentence.

"What have I done to make you believe that this was the punishment I deserved?!" She croaked.

Her voice was swallowed by the sounds of the forest, becoming nothing more than a desperate cry. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her fragile body. Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg both offered their comfort, which Solfrid almost immediately fell back on.

"It's going to be okay. You will fight through this, and we will be by your side through it" Arnbjǫrg voiced, Jórunnr agreeing.

"You will always have us. Please remember that, my princess" Jórunnr added.

Solfrid couldn't say anything. She didn't find the power to voice her thoughts, but she turned around in their embrace, squeezing both girls hard as a sign of appreciation. The girls stood there for a while, intense feelings forming the humid atmosphere around them. Neither of them noticed the two abnormally large ravens who had watched everything from far away. The two black birds shared a glance between each other before leaving the great forest.

A certain somebody wouldn't be too happy about the events that had occurred. 

♔

 _―_ 𝚎.𝚛 


	6. chapter 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Maybe slight angst, but there is fluff too.

❝𝙸𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎, 𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞.❞

♔

It's been almost six days since the feast. The weather had been seemingly more stable during the last couple of days, allowing the girls to both wash their dresses in the stream since they decided to stay in the cave, as well as being able to wash themselves. The water was cold but refreshing. Neither of them minded it. Solfrid has been collecting eatable herbs and berries while Jórunnr had been scouting the area and Arnbjǫrg had tried (and failed) to catch one of the few fish's who passed through the stream. Neither of the girls knew for how much longer they would stay out here before returning to the village. 

Solfrid had still problems with sleeping, almost to the point where she was paralyzed with fear, but Arnbjǫrg had come to the princess rescue, singing old lullabies to calm her down. It worked, but the nightmares were still present. Vivid images and terrifying replays haunted her dreams. She would often wake up in a cold sweat, crying and shaking, but almost right after, either Arnbjǫrg or Jórunnr would be up and comfort her and help her fall asleep again. Solfrid had thanked them both over and over again for their kind gestures, to which the girls reassured their princess that they would do whatever they could to bring her comfort in these dark times because they sympathized with her. 

They felt her pain. Now, it was a early morning. Outside the sun began to rise, peaking above the horizon, as songs from which the birds sang, echoed through the waking forest. Solfrid was the first one to wake up, as she laid next to Arnbjǫrg. Her head was resting comfortably against the fur-covered saddle. The princess rubbed her eyes, before slowly sitting up. She glanced at her friends, who were still soundly asleep, before stretching and standing up. Her hair was in one, messy braid, but she couldn't do much more with it since she didn't have any comb. She quietly made her way out of the cave, down to the stream where she sat down on her knees and cupped her hands, filling it with water and splashing her face. 

She then rolled up one of her sleeves and observed the wound. There weren't any bandages around it anymore, but rather a piece of her other sleeve. She carefully removed it before washing the healing wound. It stung, but the princess bit her tongue before wrapping the piece of the sleeve around it once more. She listened to the birds, but she also picked up another sound. 

It was a distant sound, yet she couldn't help but think it sounded like shouting voices. She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked towards the direction from which she heard the sounds. She focused for a moment before she confirmed it to be true. Quickly, she stood up and walked back to the cave, shaking both Arnbjǫrg and Jórunnr awake.

"What's going on?" Jórunnr asked, her voice laced with sleepiness.

"I heard shouting. I thought everything was clear yesterday?" Solfrid said, making Jórunnr sit up straight.

"It was. I didn't see anyone yesterday when I rode around the same route" Jórunnr said, confused.

Jórunnr and Solfrid stared at each other for a moment, before Arnbjǫrg spoke up.

"It's probably time for us to move on then. Maybe.. maybe we can start to head back towards the village" Arnbjǫrg spoke, looking at Jórunnr and Solfrid.

Solfrid swallowed, looking down at her dress. Maybe Arnbjǫrg was right. After all, it had been a couple of days now. Maybe things back home had cooled down a bit. It was wishful thinking, but she hoped her thoughts were true. A spark of hope ignited in her chest. For the first time, since the feast, a small, but still present smile was displayed at her lips. She looked back at Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg. With a nod, she spoke.

"I agree with Arnbjǫrg. Perhaps things have cooled down there and well, we don't exactly have a lot to lose, do we?" Solfrid said.

Arnbjǫrg nodded at that, but Jórunnr looked at Solfrid, her deep blue eyes searching for any hesitation about this. When she saw nothing, she leaned back with a nod of her own.

"Okay then, let's prepare the horses and get out of here" Jórunnr said, standing up.

Arnbjǫrg and Solfrid followed her suit, Solfrid grabbing one saddle while Jórunnr grabbed the other. The small smiled had dropped off her face, but there was a small feeling of hope in her chest. The tiro moved out of the cave, towards the two grazing horses. Solfrid and Jórunnr went to put on the saddles while Arnbjǫrg looked around them. 

The ginger couldn't see anything in particular, and she stood still for a moment, listening after any type of shouting. But she couldn't hear anything besides the sounds that came naturally from the forest. She grumbled under her breath, wondering if Solfrid really had heard something. The ginger turned to look at Solfrid, who was busy tacking their shared horse. Mindlessly, she placed a lazy hand on her hip.

"Are you sure you heard shouting?" Arnbjǫrg asked, making Solfrid looked over at her best friend.

"Yeah. I can still hear it. Do you not hear it?" Solfrid curiously asked, to which Arnbjǫrg shook her head.

Solfrid furrowed her eyebrows, looking over at Jórunnr.

"Can you hear it, Jórunnr?" Solfrid asked.

Jórunnr finished fastening the girth, before looking at the princess. She stopped thinking for a second, focusing momentarily on her hearing. She could hear the water rushing by in the stream, she could hear the birds and the various animals lurking in the trees, she could hear the wind whispering to her, but she couldn't hear any shouting. Jórunnr thought about it, before looking at Solfrid.

"No.. I can't hear any shouting" She slowly said, before continuing.

"However, if you hear shouting, I believe you. It's better to be safe than sorry, yeah?" Jórunnr said and Arnbjǫrg nodded.

Solfrid sighed to herself, not understanding how the two other girls couldn't hear the shouting. It was very clear and it sounded like it wasn't far away from then now. It felt strange, and she felt a bit paranoid. Maybe the Gods were playing with her mind, making her hear things that weren't there. Perhaps the grief had driven her mad. But she didn't say anything else, and when she finished, she motioned for Arnbjǫrg to mount first. 

The ginger walked over to their shared mount and smoothly jumped on, steadying herself so that she would be more comfortable. Solfrid followed suit when Arnbjǫrg gave the princess her hand and was soon seated behind her best friend, wrapping her arms around her waist to keep herself secure. This made her think of a memory, which seemed so foreign to her.

_The princess smirked down at the much shorter ginger-head, who was gawking back at her princess. The two of them were standing in the middle of the training grounds, Ragnar, their instructor, and trainer, currently chewing out Solfrid's older brother's for a couple of mistakes they had made. It was a sunny spring day, as Tor had blessed them with the nice weather._

_"Are you out of your mind?" Arnbjǫrg barked, to which Solfrid only snorted._

_"Nope, not at all. Just think of how great this idea is– we could be unstoppable on battlefields" Solfrid predicted, making Arnbjǫrg groan before she rubbed her face._

_What Solfrid had suggested was a bit extreme. The two of them would be riding the same horse, while Solfrid was in the control of the reins and Arnbjǫrg would be behind her, wielding her master archery skills. Arnbjǫrg looked at the princess as if she had grown three heads, and just as she was about to speak, and most likely protest once more, Solfrid was quicker and cut her off._

_"Imagine this, right. So, you and me, riding into the ongoing battlefield" Solfrid began, gesturing greatly before continuing._

_"The enemies would surely be confused to only see me, without any weapons. They would most likely think of me as a fool, but then, BAAM!" Solfrid said, her voice loud,_

_"I would duck, and you would appear behind me, with your bow and arrows ready, taking all of the enemies by surprise, and we would easily slay them all!" The fifteen-year-old finished, rather proud of herself._

_Arnbjǫrg looked anything but amused. She looked away for a brief moment, before looking back at the princess who looked exactly like one of the wolfhounds when they wanted something. Her eyes were big and puppy-like, begging Arnbjǫrg to give this idea a shot, just once at least. Arnbjǫrg rolled her eyes before a smile, which she couldn't resist, crept onto her lips._

_"I will give it one go. It if fails miserably, then you owe me your dinner for an entire month" Arnbjǫrg said._

_Solfrid's eyes widened at the shorter girl, her mouth gaping as if she was a fish on land._

_"A month?!" Solfrid said and Arnbjǫrg nodded._

_"That's my only requirement" Arnbjǫrg said._

_Solfrid groaned, but the taller girl eventually gave in to her best friend's request._

_"Fine then, you go get your bow and arrows and I will collect Katla" Solfrid muttered as Arnbjǫrg grinned._

_Arnbjǫrg went to grab her bow while Solfrid walked over to her dapple gray mare. The mare softly whinnied at her, making Solfrid smile brightly. The princess grabbed the reins, giving the mare's forehead a soft pat before walking back towards Arnbjǫrg, who stood there, waiting for Solfrid with her bow and quiver, filled with arrows. Solfrid was confident this idea of herself would work out just fine, and she was going to prove it to the ginger. Once the two of them had reached Arnbjǫrg, Solfrid came to a stop, smirking._

_"I'm so going to prove you that this idea is the best one I've come up with so far" Solfrid said, with much confidence._

_Arnbjǫrg playfully scoffed before walking over to the horse. Solfrid still smirked as she turned around, grabbing a bit of Katla's mane as she pulled herself up on the mare, on to the fur-covered saddle, which was very comfortable. The mare whipped her tail impatiently, as Solfrid extended her hand down to Arnbjǫrg, helping her up. Arnbjǫrg got up and adjusted herself, before wrapping her arms around Solfrid's waist._

_"Okay. So here is the plan; I will lead Katla down to the beginning of the training grounds and then ride towards the target boards. When I duck down, you shoot, okay?" Solfrid said and Arnbjǫrg hummed as an answered._

_And Solfrid did exactly that. She took a steadier grip on the reins and gently nudged the mare's sides, getting her to a steady trot. Solfrid calculated every step Katla would take, and when they reached the beginning of the training grounds, the princess turned the mare around, and Katla rolled into a smooth canter. Solfrid steered them towards the target boards, everything going so good until the unexpected happened. The forest ground wasn't exactly even, and poor Katla lost her footing for a split second, stumbling forwards as she tried to regain her balance once more._

_However, this sent not only Solfrid but Arnbjǫrg as well, flying over the mare's neck, onto the ground. Both girls landed with a thud, followed by two "Ooufs". They went from looking at the target boards to looking up at the blue sky. Katla went on cantering though, leaving the pair behind. Solfrid let out a strangled laugh as she looked over at Arnbjǫrg. Arnbjǫrg wanted to look angry, she tried to angry, she tried to mad at her best friend for this failure, but she couldn't help it._

_She began laughing, and soon the two of them laid there, next to each other, laughing their asses off as Ragnar had noticed the whole ordeal. The older man began walking over towards them, chewing them out for being so reckless. The princess and the grazed ginger shared a look, as they couldn't help it. Arnbjǫrg began grinning at Solfrid._

_"Thank you for the delicious food you will be giving me" Arnbjǫrg said smugly, making Solfrid groan._

_"Oh shut up" Solfrid muttered, making Arnbjǫrg laugh louder._

_It was moments like these that the two best friends would cherish, forever._

Solfrid snapped out of her memory, looking forwards to see that they had gotten a good bit away from the cave and stream, going in a steady canter. They were following the narrow path, Jórunnr going first, as Solfrid could see the blonde head looking in every direction, being very wary of their surroundings. As the ride went on, Solfrid could see various animals hiding between the trees. She could see their curious glances, but none of them dared to step forwards. 

Of course they didn't, they were the prey. They knew better than to be stupid and step forwards, and risk getting killed. They knew what was the best for them. Solfrid sort of envied that knowledge. The only thing she knew of in this very moment was the fact that her parents had been slaughtered and that her village was burnt down and that her brothers most likely could have been killed that night as well. A pang shot through her heart, but she bit down on her bottom lip. Harsh. She could feel the familiar iron taste on her tongue as she drew blood from her lip. She would not cry again. Solfrid would not break down again, she had to be strong. 

There was a big possibility that her brothers would be dead, and if that were the case, Solfrid had to bite her lip harder at the thought of her brothers being dead, she would be the only heir left to the throne. She wasn't ready for that. She began praying. She prayed to any of the Gods and Goddesses that would listen to her. She prayed that her brothers were alive. They have to be. Solfrid furiously shook her head, blinking away those threatening tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking forwards. It was like she completely turned her mind of. From now on she wouldn't allow herself to think of those matters. Her brothers were fine, they had to be. 

They must be. With that thought set in stone, she ignored any other thought.

"Do you think they have sent out a search party for us?" Arnbjǫrg asked Solfrid quietly, looking over her shoulder, back at the princess.

Solfrid thought about it for a moment. Egill, her father's best friend and right hand, and the man who also happens to be Arnbjǫrg's father would most likely stay calm and levelheaded through this whole chaos. The man she had grown up to adore and observe would most likely have sent out some sort of search party for them. There was no chance he was going to leave both his daughter, his only child at that, her friend and the princess out in the great Berserk forest, alone, for much longer now. And she knew that, if her brothers were still alive and involved, a large search party would be out there, somewhere, searching for them. It made her feel a tad better.

"They must have. I mean, your father wouldn't exactly let you, or Jórunnr, or I, starve out here" Solfrid said and Arnbjǫrg slightly chuckled.

"That's true. I.." Arnbjǫrg said, trailing off.

She shook her head, looking forwards again. Solfrid decided that she shouldn't say anything else since Arnbjǫrg seemingly wasn't comfortable with talking about it. The princess knew that Arnbjǫrg must miss her father terribly, and worry about him too, about his safety, and if he had made it through the bloodbath. Solfrid was confident that he was still alive. She had seen him sparring with her father before, and he was a skilled warrior. Egill would not go down without a fight, Solfrid knew that. 

Arnbjǫrg was just like her father, and for those two, the saying like father like daughter rang true. Solfrid squeezed Arnbjǫrg's waist in a comforting manner. The ride went on, the wind somewhat picking up, kissing the girl's exposed skin with a cool comfort. It was nice to feel something cold for once, in this summer heat. Most of the day had gone by, the sun rays filling the forest through the trees. 

Solfrid was lowly humming on a lullaby to keep herself distracted. The shouting she had heard earlier that morning had completely slipped her mind, but now her head snapped to their left, hearing the shouting much clearer and louder now.

"Jórunnr? Do you hear the shouting now?" Solfrid asked, loud enough for Jórunnr to hear.

Jórunnr thought about it once more, listening. And this time, she could actually hear it. It was faint, but it was certainly there.

"Yes, I do, Solfrid. But it's very faint.. and it sounds more like cheering" Jórunnr said and Solfrid breathed out.

"What about you, Arnbjǫrg?" Solfrid asked and the ginger listened as well.

She too heard it.

"Yeah, yeah I can hear it too" Arnbjǫrg said.

"I told you so!" Solfrid said, but then it hit her.

How could she have heard the shouting, if it came all the way from here? That didn't exactly make much sense. But maybe the source of shouting people had moved just as they did too. Just when she was thinking about that, Arnbjǫrg seemed to think of that as well.

"They must have been on the move. You couldn't possibly have heard them from here, back to the cave" Arnbjǫrg said.

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking. But who are they, though? Father.." Solfrid began, but stopped briefly, swallowing harshly before continuing.

"Father never allowed the village folk to live this far out in the forest. The tales of danger usually made the people stay near the village, and the safety.." Solfrid said and Arnbjǫrg hummed.

"Should we check it out?" Solfrid asked, making Jórunnr come to a halt, followed by Arnbjǫrg.

Jórunnr seemed to think about it. There could be a fifty/fifty chance that it could be village folk, seeking safety and protection out in the forest, just like the trio had been, but there could also be a chance that it could be a group of savages, of Berserks that hadn't joined the late King's army yet. But there was a voice in the back of Jórunnr's head telling her that they should do it. It was the curious voice, and she couldn't help but to cave into the temptation of finding out about what it was. So when she had finished thinking about it, she looked back at Arnbjǫrg and Solfrid.

"Where does the sound exactly come from, Solfrid?" Jórunnr asked as Solfrid listened again.

"It comes from the left. A bit further down the path. It sounds like an entire camp" Solfrid answered.

"Alright. Let's check it out. It's better to do it now anyway, then to be surprised along the way" Jórunnr said and Arnbjǫrg hesitated for a split second.

"What if it's dangerous?" Arnbjǫrg asked, and Jórunnr playfully snickered at her.

"Then I will protect you and the princess, I promise" She said, before nudging her horse into a trot.

Arnbjǫrg grumbled something under her breath before following Jórunnr. During the way, Solfrid gave Jórunnr directions. The sky became increasingly darker as time went on, but now they were close enough for both Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg to hear the shouting, which now turned out to be cheering. The girls stopped, binding their horses to a couple of trees before slowly making their way towards the camp. It wasn't exactly hidden, and even easier to spot with the large bonfire they had in the middle. The smoke from it rose to the darker sky, and it would be easy for anyone to track them down. Even a child from the village would be able to spot it. The loud cheering indicated that they must be celebrating something important, and it made the trio even more curious. 

They inched forwards, Solfrid going first with Jórunnr behind her, and Arnbjǫrg last. When Solfrid thought they were close enough, she hid behind a tree, which trunk was thick enough to hide her completely. She motioned for the other two to do the same, and so they did. Everything was audible enough for the trio, but, there was a problem. Neither Jórunnr nor Arnbjǫrg understood what they were saying. Taking a closer look at them, all of them recognized them. Those men were wearing the same, familiar shade of blue and silver. They were all wearing the same armor as the intruders had. Solfrid froze in the stop when she saw that. Her heart began racing, all the colors on her face draining. 

Those were the men that had attacked her home, murdered her people, and slaughtered her parents. 

Her mouth was slightly agape, a strangled noise escaping her. She slapped her hand over her mouth, but no one seemed to have heard her. She looked at them with horror and a morbid curiosity. What were they doing out here? Had they retreated from the village? Had... Had they murdered everyone back home? Thoughts rushed through her mind, but she tried her best to pull herself together and listen to what they were saying. They spoke a foreign language she actually understood. 

It was one of the languages her late mother had insisted for her to learn, in case she was going to be married off to one who's native tongue was just that one. A language called English. Spoken in a faraway country. And Solfrid could understand them almost perfectly. As she listened, Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg looked at their princess, wondering if she was able to understand these clear outsiders and monsters.

" _Can I have your attention, gentlemen_?" The leader called out to his soldiers.

The soldiers surrounded the leader, all having drinks in their hands.

" _Tomorrow, we finally sail home to our beloved home, and our most cunning and smart king Leofric_!" The leader cheered, raising his glass, the others mimicking him.

" _We have defeated our largest threat, and got rid of a heathen devil_! _Leofric is proud of us and God is proud of us, my brothers_!" The leader finished, and the men cheered loudly.

" _Amen_!" Most of them said, making what seemed like a cross on themselves, before drinking.

Solfrid knew vaguely what this God was. She had been briefly taught about it by one of her late father's travelers. A knot formed in Solfrid's stomach. This information was a lot to take in. Solfrid breathed out, looking over at Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg. She motioned for them to follow her, which they did, as the sneaked away, completely undetected. Once they were out of hearing distance, by their horses, Solfrid looked at the camp, and then back to the two girls who looked at her like they had a hundred questions.

"Did you understand anything?" Jórunnr asked and Solfrid nodded.

"I understood all of it. They are.. soldiers from a faraway country. Mother had me learn the language in case I was to be married to one who spoke English, their language" Solfrid explained, before continuing.

"They were speaking about their king. Leofric. And how this would make him proud and their God. I– it seems like their king was the reason behind this attack" Solfrid said, scratching her arm with an unsure expression on her face.

It had been an ordered attack. But why? Why did this faraway king want her father killed, what sort of threat did Asbjørn pose towards this king?

"Gods.. we should get going. We must go home, now, and–" Jórunnr said, before being cut of.

"Shh!" Arnbjǫrg said, making the girls stop.

Suddenly a soldier passed by, completely drunk as he stumbled across the forest floor, before falling over himself, not too far away from the trio. More of them seemed to be coming in their direction, so the girls quickly mounted their horses and made their escape, praying to the Gods to go undetected. Which they seemed to have succeeded with since no one seemed to be shouting after them, or chasing them. With this new knowledge, Solfrid once more began to think. She held onto Arnbjǫrg, and they rode, just like they had done the same night when they fled their home. Just like then, the trio had only stopped twice, before continuing home. They were discussing the possible reasons as to why this faraway king wanted the late king dead. 

What had he done? As far as Solfrid knew, her late father had never been to this faraway country. Or maybe he had? But he had never spoken of it before. It confused her greatly. 

The princess was busy thinking about this but was snapped out of it when Arnbjǫrg said her name. She shook her head and was about to ask her what it was, but stopped herself from doing it. Solfrid took a sharp breath when the familiar Great Hall came in her view. They slowed down from the smooth canter to a power walk, as Solfrid watched the Great Hall. She could see the royal stable too, and her home. They were finally home. Jórunnr was the first on the go around the Great Hall, viewing the village in disbelief, followed by Arnbjǫrg and Solfrid, who gasped at the sight. Most of the market and many of the huts had been burnt down. However, she could see her people working on the building and market stalls, it looked like they were repairing them. 

A short flare of anger rose within her. How dared those bastards do this to her home? Hadn't they done enough already? She was snapped out of it when she heard a masculine voice shout at them. She looked to her left, seeing Egill stand there, a couple of meters away from them, a look of surprise and relief on his old, scarred face. Solfrid could feel Arnbjǫrg tense up, then relax.

"Arnbjǫrg? Solfrid? Jórunnr?" He shouted and Arnbjǫrg shouted back a desperate yes as an answer.

Arnbjǫrg was quick to get of. After her, Solfrid and Jórunnr got off, as the short ginger ran over to her father. Solfrid knew that Arnbjǫrg held a deep love for her father, so her running for him was nothing new to the princess. Jórunnr's parents and some others had heard Egill's screaming, and soon Jórunnr was in the embrace of her parents. 

Solfrid felt her chest tighten. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe her brothers hadn't made it. Panic flooded through her, as her eyes searched everywhere after those two familiar faces. Her head snapped in a certain direction when she heard her name roll off the tongue of a familiar person. 

There they stood. Njáll and Úlfr. Emotions suddenly flooded over her, as her hand covered her mouth. A choked sob escaping her, rocking her entire body. It didn't take more than a second before her legs went automatically towards her brothers. She ran towards them, barreling into Njáll's hard chest as a relieved cry left her. She held onto him tightly, afraid that it was just an illusion. 

Afraid that the Gods were playing a prank on her. The princes soon felt four arms wrapping around her in a steel grip as she cried. She cried uncontrollably, so happy that her brothers were alive. So happy that she hadn't lost her entire family. She sobbed out their names, but Njáll hushed her. The tree Asbjørns children held onto each other, never wanting this moment to end. After what felt like an eternity, Njáll and Úlfr pulled away, but Njáll held Solfrid's face in his large hands, scanning his sister's face, before pressing a hard kiss to her forehead. 

He wiped her tears away, as he felt a few of his own running down on his cheeks. Úlfr leaned in and pecked her cheek, before turning away to wipe away his own tears. Solfrid sobbed, sniffling as she looked at her brother. She was finally home. She was finally with her family. And in the moment, she forgot about the past pain she had felt. For now, everything felt ok. And she couldn't be happier to be in the arms of her loved ones, knowing they're safe.

♔

 _―_ 𝚎.𝚛 _  
_


	7. chapter 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Blood, animal sacrifice.

❝𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎, 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛.❞

♔

Hot water against cold, pale skin. Solfrid sat in the bathing tub, her muscles relaxing against the hot touch. Her knees were resting against her chest as her arms were wrapped around them. The wound on her arm had finally closed up, so she was in no need of bandages anymore. However, it was starting to form a nasty scar, as she inspected it. Last night she had finally returned home and she had finally seen her brothers again. Her heart didn't ache as much as it had before. The princess hadn't met anyone else though, because Njáll and Úlfr had practically dragged her back to their hut, but she knew that the others were safe. 

Njáll had filled her in with everything that they had missed while they were gone. Hálfdan, Þórfreðr, and Eindriði were safe. So was Sigmund and Iðunn as well, apparently. They had been able to fight off the intruders, killing a large amount of them, with help of the Berserks that had arrived quickly after Solfrid and the girls had escaped. The fire had swallowed most of the market and huts, but the people were working on repairing it all. Njáll and the priests had held the funeral for their parents, in his words it had been beautiful. Her oldest brother kept apologizing to Solfrid though since she missed it. 

Solfrid had reassured him that it was fine, that she understood why they had to do it. She could visit their graves later. And tonight, Njáll's coronation would be held. He would be crowned as the new Fearless Skull King of Björnheim. Solfrid was proud. She knew her brother would be just as good King as their father had been. The princess heaved a sigh as she slowly stood up. Being in her home brought her some comfort, but also discomfort. It was not like before. It was her home, yet it didn't feel like it. It felt wrong without her parents here. 

Solfrid shook her head, standing up. Water dripped from her bare body as she walked over to the chair where a soft towel laid, and the dress she would wear. After she dried herself and put on her undergarments, she took the soft dress in her hands. It was a dark green color, with fine details. It was sleeveless, made for the summer season. She quietly slipped it on, before sitting down, combing through her dry hair, starting to braid it as usual. 

When she finished, her ash blonde hair was in a half, braided ponytail, decorated with beads. For a brief moment, she looked just like her normal self. The only thing being different was the large, purplish bags underneath her puffy eyes. They weren't as bloodshot as they once had been a week ago, but a small amount of blood vessels still lingered in the corner of her eyes. Solfrid sighed to herself, before standing up and leaving her room behind. She knew her brothers would be in the Great Hall, so she made her way over there. 

The morning air was humid and smelled of rain. It had been raining off and on the entire night, as Solfrid had mainly laid awake, listening to the calming sound the raindrops falling against the roof of their hut. A couple of village people walked past her and greeted her with respect, which she returned, but other than those, she didn't see anyone around the Great Hall. Most of the people were down by the market and the huts, doing their best to build up their homes one again. 

She felt bad for them, knowing that they must be devastated by the fact that they lost their homes to the vicious flames. The princess glanced towards the market and huts but looked forwards again when she reached the Great Hall, entering it. Everything looked normal, it was lit up by candles and a small fire, and everything looked spotless. Yet her eyes traveled to where she had seen her father fall, and where she had held her dying mother in her arms. 

Her chest tightened as she sucked in a sharp breath, memories washing over her, but before she could completely panic, a masculine voice called her name.

"Solfrid!"

Þórfreðr called, making her look over at the tall, strawberry blonde man. He was the tallest in their friend group, towering over most of them, with his hazel brown eyes. Solfrid made her way over to him, seeing Njáll and Úlfr, as well as Hálfdan, Eindriði, Arnbjǫrg, and Jórunnr. Neither Sigmund nor Iðunn was there, and strangely enough, Solfrid felt relieved. She didn't know whether she had the strength to face any of them now. They were seated at the table, eating and talking.

Njáll and Úlfr both looked tired, especially Úlfr. Solfrid had heard his screaming, followed by muffled cries during the night. He too must have nightmares about the bloodbath. Solfrid could only imagine what he and the others that stayed behind must have seen, and what they must have done. Most of them had probably killed someone for the first time that night. Her heart ached for them, and she felt a pang of guilt in her chest. Her friends were real warriors now. Forced to grow up quicker than expected. 

All of them, except her brothers, Arnbjǫrg and Jórunnr, stood up and met her halfway, giving her a tight group hug. Solfrid embraced them all, squeezing them, breathing in the familiar scent of the friends she had grown up with. When they pulled away from each other, the princess looked at all of them with a comforting warmth radiating off her.

"I've missed all of you. I'm so glad you're okay" She expressed, making them smile at her.

"We've missed you too, Sol" Eindriði chimed in, making a small smile appear on her lips.

"Yeah! You should have seen us fight, Sol. We were glorious" Hálfdan exclaimed.

Solfrid raised an eyebrow at him, looking at Þórfreðr and Eindriði, who smiled sheepishly at her. Realizing that Hálfdan was probably exaggerated, she scoffed and playfully punched his shoulder, before walking past him. Hálfdan whined in pain before the three of them followed after the princess like lost puppies. She quietly greeted Arnbjǫrg and Jórunnr, who greeted her as well, before sitting down next to Úlfr. 

She noticed that his hands were underneath the table, as he was nervously fiddling with his fingers, his left leg bouncing up and down. Solfrid sneaked a hand underneath, grabbing one of his hands, trying to calm him down. It usually worked when he was nervous or anxious about something. She began rubbing circles on the back of his hand, and soon she could see his leg stop bouncing. She leaned into his side as the other ate and small talked, whispering so that only he could hear.

"Are you okay? I heard you scream last night" Solfrid asked as Úlfr looked down at her.

"I'm... I'm not okay, not really. I've been having nightmares ever since that evening and well... I'm just scared something will happen again" Úlfr confessed, squeezing his dark blue eyes shut.

Solfrid understood what her brother meant, and gave him a comforting pat on his leg.

"I understand. If you have another nightmare tonight, just come and wake me, and I will help you. I've been having nightmares as well" Solfrid said and Úlfr nodded, grateful.

"Thank you" Úlfr said and Solfrid removed her hand.

The princess started to eat her breakfast, her first real meal in over a week. It tasted delicious, it was so good, to the point where she had to remind herself to not inhale all of the food. She didn't want to have a stomach ache for the rest of the day. As she drank her water, she glanced over at Njáll and observed him. 

Her older brother seemed tense like something was troubling his mind. He wasn't saying much, only chiming in once in a while, but for the most part, he was silent. He had bags underneath his eyes as well, and for the first time, Solfrid noticed him slightly shaking. It wasn't as visible, and you had to focus on him to see it. But he was definitely shaking.

"So, was there a search party out for us?" Arnbjǫrg jokingly asked.

Njáll looked over at the ginger, before nodding.

"Yes. We sent one out immediately when things calmed down. But your trail seemingly disappeared out of nowhere.." Njáll said, making Jórunnr smile.

"That's because we followed a certain someone's advice, by going upstreams when we came across the first stream. And then our tracks were most likely washed away because of the rain" Jórunnr said.

Solfrid looked at Njáll, a small smile on her lips. That advice came strictly from Ragnar. It was one of the first things he had taught them. Njáll nodded at that, with a stoic expression.

"Then we rode on for two days and found a cave, which we stayed in for the rest of the time before we headed back" Jórunnr finished.

"Okay. Were there anyone else out there?" Njáll asked, looked at Jórunnr.

Jórunnr met his eyes, before looking at Solfrid. Solfrid swallowed before replying, instead of Jórunnr.

"Yes, there were. But that's something we should discuss during the council meeting later" Solfrid muttered.

Njáll looked at his younger with an intense gaze. Solfrid met his piercing blue eyes, but she didn't say anything else. Njáll sighed quietly to himself before nodding, dropping the topic completely. Something turned in Solfrid's stomach. She needed to ask him about Sigmund. Even though it hurt, she still wanted to know if he had been involved in the fight or not. If he had shunned Iðunn away and joined her brothers and friends to their aid.

"Was Sigmund there as well? When the Berserks arrived and the fight against the intruders broke out?" Solfrid asked carefully.

Jórunnr, as well as Arnbjǫrg, looked at her carefully. Njáll looked at his younger sister, and something on his expression darkened. He looked partly disgusted before he answered.

"No. He was nowhere to be seen, but–" Njáll said, his voice harsh.

When he realized his voice had come out harsher than he expected, he cleared his throat, exhaling, and then continued.

"But, he came seeking us afterward. Spitting some bullshit about how he was home feeling sick like I was some fool not knowing better! How couldn't he have noticed the fire? The attack? Why wasn't he at the feast to begin with?" Njáll ranted, and without thinking, slamming his fist down on the table, rattling the entire thing.

The group of friends stopped talking, looking shocked at the soon-to-be king. His eyes were narrowed, his expression dark and angry. Solfrid looked at her brother with shock, before snapping out of it. It got Solfrid thinking. Sigmund had been there, with Iðunn. But why would he lie to Njáll?

Something fishy was clearly going on. It made no sense to her, at all. She reached forwards, placing a soft hand on his clenched fist, giving him a concerned look. This seemed to make Njáll snap out of it as well. He sighed once more, rubbing his face with his free hand. The anger washing off him.

"I'm sorry for bursting out like that" Njáll apologized.

"It's okay" Solfrid hummed, doing the same thing she had done to Úlfr, rubbing circles on his hand.

The friend group soon began talking again, letting Njáll's sudden outburst go. No one blamed no, they couldn't. He was under pressure, and so was the other's as well. Solfrid figured that the stress and grief were reaching his head since he usually was so calm. And she was pretty sure he wasn't getting sleep either. Too many things about him had changed for her not to notice. She worried about her brothers and their wellbeing. She noted to herself that after Njáll's coronation later this evening, she would sit down with them and just talk.

Perhaps cry it out together, giving all three of them a proper chance of grieving together. Thralls were walking around, filling water to those who wanted, taking empty plates, and was overall being helpful. When most of the friends had finished, they looked at Njáll, before bidding goodbye and a promise to see the three Asbjørns siblings later for the coronation. The three Asbjørns siblings were left there at the table, as Solfrid let out a breath she had been holding before looking at both of her brothers. She could feel a smile building upon her face.

"I'm so glad you're still alive" Solfrid quietly confessed.

Njáll and Úlfr both looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I was so terrified you hadn't made it, neither of you. When I saw you, on the horseback... I thought that would be the last time seeing you" Solfrid continued. Njáll's and Úlfr's face softened as Úlfr placed his hand on her shoulder.

"And.. and Gods, the nightmares, they wouldn't stop. I can't help but feel like all of this fiasco was my fault entirely. If the feast hadn't taken place, maybe father and mother would have had a chance at fighting back and not.." Solfrid ranted, not noticing the tears welling up in her eyes.

She let out a forced chuckle as two tears ran down onto her cheeks. Njáll's expression became serious as he grabbed his younger sister's face between his hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. His face looked stern, yet soft, as he spoke to her.

"Do not, under any circumstances, blame yourself for any of this. It isn't your fault. You didn't know, we didn't know, mother nor father knew this would happen. They would be sad to hear you blame yourself. Please, little Sol, this isn't your fault, and it will never be. We will never blame you for this" Njáll sincerely said.

It was quiet for a couple of moments before she slowly nodded. Njáll brushed away her tears, before pulling her into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she soon felt Úlfr joining the hug.

"We have each other's, that's what matters. We will always have each other" Njáll whispered.

"Do you promise?" Solfrid asked.

"Of course" Njáll answered.

Solfrid had never felt so safe. Her heart swelled with love for her two brothers.

"I love the both of you, so much" Solfrid whispered.

"Likewise, little Sol" Úlfr muttered into her hair.

And so the day went on. Now the council was gathered in the Great Hall, Njáll sitting on the late King's throne, as Solfrid and Úlfr sat on their own. Six people were sitting in front of them, three of them being Egill, Ása, and Ragnar. Then there is Alfvin, an older gentleman with graying hair, who was the eyes of Björnheim. He constantly travels, and it's his job to keep the King updated on what is happening outside of the kingdom. After Alfvin, there is Guðlaug, who is the trainer of the Berserk army. She is the one training all the new Berserks who decides to join the army, and it's thanks to her, the army is strong and skilled. Then lastly, there is Ráðúlfr, a man who keeps track of the economy, helping the king with advice and strategies.

All of them important to the kingdom and the wellbeing of the kingdom. Njáll and the council members had been talking, about the general topics, as well as what they were going to do about the burnt down market and huts. By the end of that conversation, they had concluded that they would seek help from the neighbor kingdom, and pay them handsomely for it. Njáll seemed satisfied with that. They continued talking, Solfrid listening carefully. She wanted to learn. 

They talked about the coronation. During this conversation, she couldn't help but notice how annoyed Ása, their aunt, looked, even though she tried to make it subtle. Was she not pleased with Njáll being the soon-to-be king? Solfrid observed her aunt for a while, and that seemed to be the case. But it wasn't her place to judge, so she brushed it of. Njáll then turned his head, looking at Solfrid.

"The last thing I would like to discuss today is something Solfrid and her two girlfriends stumbled across when they made their journey home" Njáll said, before continuing.

"As you all know, Arnbjǫrg made the smart decision to flee the kingdom with the princess, to keep her safe. They were able to steer clear of danger, but on their way home, they seemed to have met a group of people. Solfrid, would you like to talk about what you saw?" Njáll said as Solfrid nodded.

She looked at the council members, before clearing her throat.

"As Njáll said, we stumbled onto a group of people on our way home. I was able to confirm that the group's members were the intruders we had during the feast. They wore blue and silver, and as you all know, no kingdom in Scandinavia has those colors" Solfrid explained, recalling the event.

"They are outsiders. From a faraway country, where they speak English. Thanks to the late Queen, I was able to understand everything they were saying" Solfrid said, as she saw how shocked they looked. Everyone except Egill, who had a dark expression on his face.

She briefly glanced at Njáll, who looked intrigued, curious, and a bit shocked.

"They were talking about their king, a man named Leofric. The attack was planned and was requested by the king. I was also able to overhear that they were going home, but that must have been three days ago now, so they might be long gone. But that's what we stumbled across" Solfrid finished, nodding at Njáll and the council members.

This information caused a heated discussion. They were wondering why a faraway king would want Asbjørn dead. Everyone except Egill was talking. The man seemed to be deep in thought, that grim, dark expression never leaving his face. At least all of them were aware of the facts now. It hadn't been just a random attack, this had been a requested attack. After half an hour of discussion, Njáll raised his hand, pausing the conversation as a priest entered the Great Hall.

"I am sorry to interrupt the meeting, but the other priests are requesting the presence of the Prince. We must start the preparations for the coronation" The priest spoke.

There was something about the priests. All of them being wise, and something about them just seemed to be very ancient. They truly had some sort of bond with the Gods and Goddesses, and Solfrid admired that.

"Of course, priest" Egill quickly said.

"This meeting is officially over. We shall soon have another one, but thank you all for coming. I will see you this evening" Njáll said, dismissing the members, who, one by one, left the Great Hall.

Njáll bid farewell to his siblings, leaving the hall together with the priest. Úlfr and Solfrid were now left in the hall, sitting on their thrones. Solfrid looked over at Úlfr, slightly smiling at him.

"Let's go home and prepare" Solfrid said, standing up.

Úlfr followed suit as the two siblings made their way out of the hall, towards their hut. The sky had cleared up a bit now and was only painted with white clouds. The sun was laying on too hot, making it bearable. They walked in comfortable silence, and as they got to the hut, they went separate ways, Solfrid heading to her room, soon followed by Signe, as Úlfr headed to his, followed by his thrall. 

When they came into the room, Signe immediately went to hug Solfrid. This took the princess by surprise, but she returned Signe's affectionate hug. When Signe pulled away, she was a bit flustered.

"I'm sorry, my princess, I just– I couldn't help it. I have been worried about you" Signe confessed.

It made Solfrid feel warm inside. Signe hadn't seen her since before the feast. She had been helping her family with their burnt down hut, so she hadn't been there when Solfrid had arrived the previous day, nor had she been at the royal hut the entire day, since she had been permitted Njáll to help her family as much as she needed to. 

Signe had just finished helping them, and when she had seen the princess, an overwhelming feeling of relief washed over her. Yes, even though she was a thrall, Solfrid's thrall at that, she cared about the young princess. Solfrid had been nothing but kind to her, never forcing her to do anything she didn't want to do. Signe was genuinely happy to be working for the princess. And they had formed a somewhat sister bond with each other.

"Signe, I'm so happy to see you again. It's okay, you don't need to apologize" Solfrid chuckled.

Solfrid began to prepare herself with the help of Signe. The princess changed from her dress to a more formal one, it having the kingdoms color and fine embroidery. Signe braided Solfrid's entire hair, making it into a neat high ponytail. It was decorated with beads, as Solfrid applied kohl to her eyes. Taking on her ankle-high leather shoes was officially done.

"Thank you so much Signe. I don't know what I would have done without you" Solfrid joked, making Signe smile.

"You wouldn't have such fabulous hair without me. Now go, I will join you later" Signe said and Solfrid nodded.

She left her room, finding Úlfr finished and ready in their kitchen, by their table. He was dressed in fine clothing as well, matching Solfrid with the colors. Once Úlfr saw his little sister, he stood up.

"You look good" Úlfr complimented as he walked up to her, offering his arm.

"Likewise" Solfrid hummed, hooking her arm with his.

The two left the hut and began walking towards the large lake. It was out on the dock that the coronation would take place. They walked in silence, as her eyes traveled all over the burnt huts and market stalls. She thought about it for a moment, before looking at Úlfr.

"How many died that night, Úlfr?" She asked quietly.

Úlfr avoided looking at her, keeping his gaze straight forwards. It took a while before he answered.

"Seventy, including mother and father" He said lowly as Solfrid looked at him, shocked.

"Most of them died by the attack in the Great Hall, then some died in the fight and some were... burnt inside their own homes" Úlfr said, a hint of sadness and guilt in his voice.

"That's horrible" Solfrid muttered.

Neither of them said anything else as they continued through the market. Everyone was now making their way towards the dock, stopping their work. It took a while before they reached the dock, but once they had gotten there, Solfrid watched curiously. The priests had moved the Oden statue to the end of the dock. The Allfather was there, so he could be a witness to the greatness that was about to take place. There was a table, on which they had tied a great sabertooth tiger on. Solfrid let out a soft gasp as she saw it. It was the first time she had ever seen one before. 

They were uncommon, living high up in the snowy mountains. They were never easy to catch, but the priests had managed to do that, with a bit of help from the Berserks. They had tied its mouth together, securing it to the table. Its white fur looked so soft. It was a magnificent creature. Underneath was a wooden bowl, ready to be filled with blood from the predator. The priests all stood in two lines, waiting for the soon-to-be king to arrive. Her curious eyes could also see something covered with a white piece of a cloak. Solfrid and Úlfr took their place next to Egill. Egill had witnessed a coronation once before, and that was for his late best friend, Asbjørn. 

He was honored to see Njáll become the king now. And he knew that Asbjørn would be proud as well. The three of them were looking towards the crowd, as Solfrid could see their friends there. Arnbjǫrg waving at Solfrid, which she returned. But her attention shifted from Arnbjǫrg to her brother, who was now arriving with the priest. He was dressed in armor, which was decorated with Viking chainmail and a long, black cloak. All the clothing he wore bearing the colors of the kingdom, with his long platinum hair braided into one, long complicated braid. 

In his left hand, he held a special made shield, with their sigil of a rearing bear on a black, gold, and red background, and in his right hand, he held his long, custom made sword. He looked like a true king now, the only thing missing being his crown. The priest and Njáll walked past Solfrid, Úlfr and Egill, and towards the trapped predator. All of Björnheim was now watching. The priest came together, chanting an ancient song, honoring the Gods while asking them to accept Njáll as the new king. 

They chanted and sang, while one priest took his shield and sword, just for a moment, while another priest got a large, sharp knife. He raised it to the orange, pinkish sky as he chanted. Then he brought it down to the predator, before slashing its throat, quick and merciful. It whined for a split second, before going completely limp. Solfrid was watching everything intensely. The blood from the magnificent animal began spilling into the wooden bowl underneath the table. It slowly filled up with the thick, scarlet-colored fluid. Once that was done, the same priest took it and dipped his fingers in it. First, he splashed blood on Oden. Then he turned around towards Njáll. 

He began chanting something else, something she really couldn't make out, as the priest walked over to Njáll. The priest dipped three of his fingers in the blood, before slowly dragging them over Njáll's face. For a split moment, everything was silent, the priests stopping their chants, as the priest gave Njáll the bowl. Slowly, the soon-to-be king put the bowl to his lips, taking one, long sip of the blood. Once he had done that, the priests chanted loudly, as Njáll handed the bowl back. Solfrid caught a glimpse of her older brother's disgusted expression, as another priest now removed the white cloak and lifted something. When she saw what it was, she could only stare at it in awe. 

It was his crown. The crown would make up his entire identity as a king. It was a large cranium of a sabertooth tiger, though it was only the upper part of it. It had runes carved into it, as the saber teeth were large and pointed. It was breathtaking. Njáll fell on his knees, as the priest made his way over to him. The priest lifted the crown above Njáll's head, giving him a blessing from the Gods, before placing it on his head, fastening it with a leather strap. Once the priest was done, Njáll stood up, and the priest that had been holding Njáll's weapons handed them back. 

Njáll took them with grace before turning around, facing the people of Björnheim. The entire skull crown covered his face, and you couldn't see anything other than a new king. A new Fearless Skull King of Björnheim. The sabertooth tiger was Njáll's chosen animal. He looked terrifying, yet so powerful. Behind him, one of the priests spoke up.

"Welcome our new king, Njáll, son of Asbjørn! Welcome our new Fearless Skull King of Björnheim! All hail Njáll The Great!" The priest shouted.

Soon enough cheering erupted from the crowd. The king now stood there, shield in one hand and sword in the other, watching his people from beneath his skull crown. It was now his turn to rule his kingdom, and he hoped he would live up to his father's reputation. He hoped he could do them justice. Solfrid, her brother, and Egill all watched the king in awe as the crowd began chanting one single sentence.

"All Hail Njáll The Great!"

♔

 _―_ 𝚎.𝚛 


	8. chapter 7.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Swearing.

❝𝙸𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚍𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗.❞

♔

It had been one week since Njáll's coronation. The council had been busy planning on what to do, going forwards. One thing was clear, if the Blue and Silver King wants war, he shall get war. Njáll was prepared to let the fury of the Berserks loose on the foreign King, however, they needed more alliances. Sure, the Berserk army was strong enough, with the help of the neighboring kingdom, to defeat the foreign King, but Njáll didn't just want to defeat the King and his kingdom. 

He wanted to teach them a lesson, to never mess with Björnheim, again. He was willing to take every necessary step to secure his people. Where his father might have failed, Njáll wouldn't. He refused to. He was going to take every chance to protect the ones he loved the most. The thought of him failing was nagging at the back of his mind, reminding him that he lost the people he looked up to in such a brutal manner, and those thoughts often escalated to made-up scenarios of his dear brother and sister getting slaughtered as well. It sent a shiver down his spine, and therefore, he was willing to go Helheim and back to not have history repeated. 

The new King was snapped out of his thoughts when Solfrid gently nudged his side with her elbow. He looked down at her with his tired, piercing blue eyes, an apologetic look crossing them. As of now, the council was having its last meeting for a while. Three days earlier, they had all concluded that they must travel, spread the word, and gain alliances, and today they would leave. Njáll would travel with Úlfr, alongside with their aunt Ása, Ráðúlfr and Alfvin, three of the council members, and Berserk warriors for protection. 

While Solfrid would make the longest, and nearly most important trip up north, to the most dangerous kingdom of them all. It might seem stupid to send the princess alone there, and it might look like a suicide mission, but the new King hoped it wouldn't be. The princess wouldn't travel alone though, she would travel with Egill and Guðlaug, the woman who is responsible for the army's training, as well as Signe. 

They had decided that it would be best if Solfrid would take a good amount of warriors with her, in case the infamous Dragon King would need some convincing. But she was nervous. She was worried something might happen to her brothers, the anxiety crippling her to the point where she could barely sleep, plagued by the nightmares as well, but both Njáll and Úlfr had reassured her that they would be fine. 

After all, they had the warriors with them now, and that neither Asbjørnsson's would go down without a fight. Plus, she the most important person that had to go there. Not because she was a princess, it was because she was the only one in Björnheim to speak their tongue. The ancient tongue that been spoken across Scandinavia once, was now completely dead, except for the dragonborns and their people, who only spoke in the ancient ways. The dragonborns and their people was a bit of a mystery to all since they never had real contact with the rest of the kingdoms in Scandinavia. 

They kept to themselves, stayed out of the wars that occurred over time, and killed anyone who tried to lay a claim on their sacred home. And that one time they fought in a war, they earned themselves the infamous nickname "Savage madmen" after shredding the enemies to bits, as well as torching those few who survived with fire. The tales all said that once a dragonborn has gotten the taste for blood, it will never disappear, and they will keep killing until their thirst is satisfied. 

Solfrid remembered her mother telling her all about them when she was younger, and it was from her mother that she learned the language. No one knew where Dagmær had learned the language, not even Asbjørn himself, but no one ever questioned her, and Njáll felt some sort of appreciation for the fact that their mother had taught Solfrid these two important languages. Solfrid had an advantage with her knowledge. When Guðlaug first had suggested to try and gain them as an ally, all of them had been a skeptic. 

They all knew that they were wary of strangers. After a while, and thinking, Njáll had agreed. It was worth the try, at least, Njáll had argued. With the dragonborns in their army, they could do some serious harm and put this foreign country in its place. Teach them a lesson. It was risky, but it had to be done. And there was no one else he trusted to do this for him. He trusted this with Solfrid, and the princess was ready to do everything in her power to convince the Dragon King to join her and her brothers in this mission of vengeance. Njáll cleared his throat, gaining the attention of every council member.

"Is everything prepared for our travels?" His voice was raspy, tired.

Just like his younger siblings, he couldn't sleep. Nightmares haunted him too, but he tried to brush them of. Tried to be strong for his people, his kingdom. He didn't want to show weakness.

"Yes, my King" Ráðúlfr, the older man, who's black hair had streaks of gray, and whose steel-gray eyes always alert, spoke.

Njáll nodded, satisfied, before standing up, signaling that the meeting officially was over. The rest of the council members stood up, as well as Úlfr and Solfrid, all eyes were on their king.

"Then the meeting is hereby over. We have a couple of long months in front of us now, which we can only pray to the Gods to bless, but in the end, I know that we are going to succeed. I have a feeling that the Gods are going to be with us through this all" Njáll spoke with confidence, some of the members nodding at his speech.

"But I want to thank you all for staying loyal to me, to Björnheim, and my father's legacy. Some would have most likely hightailed it out of here when things went sour, but all of you stuck it through and stayed, and I will be forever grateful for your loyalty" He finished.

Solfrid looked at her brother with admiration in her eyes, which many of the council members did as well. King Njáll was praised, as they all started to exit the Great Hall. All three siblings had packed all of their belongings the same morning, so they were ready to leave as soon as possible. When Solfrid stepped outside, she took the view in. It was now late summer, but the previous summer warmth had almost disappeared, replaced by the crisp cold that would arrive by the morning, stick by through the day, and intensify through the night. Even though the sun stood high upon the sky, blessing them with its hot touch, it couldn't get through the frostbite that had started to appear. But Solfrid enjoyed it. She had always preferred winter over summer. 

And the market and the burnt huts were slowly getting rebuilt. The people of Björnheim was working hard, as they were trying to get back to normal. Solfrid hadn't been able to just stand and watch her people work hard by themselves, so through this entire week, she had been helping anyone that needed help. She helped the elderly, the women, and the men who desperately needed it. She would watch the children of women who had to take care of the animals and damage, she would carry wood and build with the men who needed it, she would serve as dragging help to get large lumber to where it was supposed to be, she would help the elder men and women, get them food and prepare it for them when they couldn't do it themselves. 

She did it to help, but it was also a great distraction for her. When she worked, she didn't have the time to overthink everything. Solfrid didn't have the time to be consumed by the anxiety that rested in the back of her head, constantly reminding her of everything that has happened. Arnbjǫrg, Jórunnr, Hálfdan, Eindriði, and Þórfreðr had also been helping out. 

The princess also had a run, or rather, multiple run in's with that one person she didn't want to see, nor wanted to talk to. Sigmund. The first few times she had been able to avoid him, by either turning around, changing direction, or molding herself into the crowd at the market. 

But the last run-in she hadn't been able to do any of those things. _It had been late afternoon, she had just finished her dinner with her brothers and friends in the Great Hall, and she had walked down to the lake to relax, and just to be by herself for a moment. The princess had felt a bit overwhelmed and just wanted to be alone. So she had been sitting there, deep in thought, when a hand suddenly had gripped her shoulder, trying to be gentle. It had startled her, making her jump and let out a high pitched yelp. Solfrid had been quick to stand up, whipping around to see who had scared her. There he stood, his dirty blonde hair messy as he looked tired and distressed. Solfrid had immediately tensed up, her eyes narrowing at him. Sigmund had tried to take one step towards her, but she stepped backward, putting as much distance between them as she could._

_"What do you want, Sigmund?" Her voice had been cold, harsh. The opposite of what it usually sounds like._

_"I just.. Why do you avoid me, love? I thought we were supposed to work things out?" Sigmund said._

_"You know I didn't mean to lash out like that. It was an accident, I promise" The boy tried._

_When he said that, Solfrid froze. She let out a long breath as stared at him, something snapping inside of her._

_"I think you ruined the chance of us working things out when you let Iðunn suck away at your cock like her life depended on it" Solfrid growled lowly._

_Sigmund's eyes widened at her comment. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then proceed to do it a couple of more times, like he was a fish on land, gasping for its life. Her ex-lover looked angry, shocked, frustrated. Solfrid kept her expression cold and unforgiving._

_"How– what– I–" Sigmund managed to stutter._

_"I saw it all. I heard what you said too. But don't worry, this ' **stupid little bitch** ' won't be one of your concerns anymore. I just hope Iðunn was worth it" Solfrid snarled, hatred lacing her voice, before continuing._

_"I thought you cared about me. I thought I meant more to you, I was–" Solfrid said, shaking her head, letting out a harsh, forced chuckled._

_"If I were you, Sigmund, I would be happy for the fact that I haven't told my brothers about what you did, because I'm fairly sure you'd end up as a blood eagle. Just keep your mouth shut from now on, and leave me be. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to tell my brother's how you betrayed me" Solfrid said threateningly._

_Sigmund's mouth closed, a scowl painted on his face, his fist clenched at his sides._

_"I didn't have the time to react, Iðunn just pulled me aside and just started to attack me, I–" Sigmund tried to defend himself, but Solfrid held a hand up, stopping him._

_"Didn't your mother teach you lying is a bad thing? I know you wanted that. Don't you dare try to hide that" Solfrid hissed at him._

_Neither of them said anything else. Moments went by as both stared down one another. Not wanting to stay there with him, since he had ruined her mood and everything, she decided to walk away. The princess walked past her ex-lover, only to be stopped by her wrist, his hand wrapping around it._

_She didn't turn around to look at him, only glancing at him over her shoulder. He looked desperate at that point and taken by surprise, a tear rolled down on his cheek. For a moment she softened, thinking that he must be sorry, but then she remembered what he had done and what he had said. Sure, she had deep down forgiven him, but she could never forget. She wouldn't be fooled._

_"Please, Solfrid" He pleaded. "I love you"_

_Solfrid stood still, watching Sigmund like a hawk. She couldn't believe him. Anger boiled inside of her, not believing her what she just heard. Yet tears started to well up in her eyes as she cursed her emotions for getting the better of her. She yanked her wrist free from him, now turning around to face him._

_"No! No, no, you don't get to say that! What you have done is vile and disgusting. You betrayed my trust, I was willing to give you something so sacred, I wanted to be with you for a long time! You fucking disgust me, you piece of shit, may Tor strike you dead!" She roared at him, a couple of tears rolling down onto her cheeks._

_She quickly wiped them away. They weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of anger._

_"You aren't worth anything to me anymore, Sigmund. Just leave me the fuck alone from now on" Solfrid said, turning around and walking away._

_He wasn't worth her tears anymore. Sigmund was the past now, and she felt a sense of relief washing over her. But it didn't stop the little sting she felt in her heart, but she brushed it away. Just like she said, he wasn't worth anything to her anymore._

The princess snapped out of her trance, looking over to the left, where the wagons and horses stood prepared. She breathed out, as the trio walked over to the horses. The Berserk warriors had all gathered around the wagons, prepared for the long journeys ahead of them. All of the Berserk warriors were tall and muscular, men and women, most of them were bonded with the ancient forest bears, but some were bonded with wolves, and some even the secretive lynx's or sly foxes, which you could see on the furs which they dressed in. 

Arnbjǫrg, Jórunnr, and the boys had arrived to bid farewell to the siblings leaving. And Arnbjǫrg was there to say goodbye to her father as well. Egill went to his daughter, hugging her, speaking to her. Solfrid began talking to Jórunnr and Hálfdan, who both looked sad.

"Please.. stay safe, Solfrid. We don't want to lose you" Hálfdan muttered, making Solfrid smile.

"Of course I will. I promise. And I promise to keep you know who safe as well" Solfrid winked at the younger boy.

Hálfdan started to blush as Jórunnr smirked at him, elbowing him in the side as she chuckled. Hálfdan had told Jórunnr about Signe as well. The older girl thought his crush was adorable. Jórunnr looked over at Solfrid, giving her a modest smile.

"Take care of yourself, princess. Don't let anyone kick your ass" She joked, making Solfrid giggle.

Solfrid hugged both of them, and when she let them go, Jórunnr went over to Njáll and Úlfr to bid goodbye, while Hálfdan clumsily made his way over to Signe to say goodbye. Solfrid glanced one last time over her home, before making her way over to her brothers to say goodbye as well. As she reached them, she hugged both of them close to her, squeezing them tightly. She could feel her oldest brother's chest rumble against her with a heartfelt chuckle. The princess could hold them like this forever, but soon enough, she let go of them, looking at both of them with love and warmth radiating off of her. Leaning forwards, she pecked both of their cheeks, slightly sniffling as she smiled.

"I'm going to miss you two, a lot. This is going to be tough but.. just, please stay out of trouble and come home safe" Solfrid said, making the taller boys gush at her.

"Don't worry, Sol. It's going to be fine. Plus, it's probably one of us that should say that to you" Úlfr chuckled.

"Yeah. Take care of yourself, and show those Dragons who we truly are" Njáll said fondly.

Solfrid smiled at both of them, before giving them an individual hug. Úlfr kissed the top of her, before going to his horse, mounting it. Njáll squeezed her extra tight, whispering something to her before letting go, walking over to his horse. After the King mounted, he turned to those who were going staying behind, looking at them with pride in his eyes.

"Take care of our home now. Protect it with your life, and may you all be blessed by the Gods and Goddesses" Njáll said, before spurring his horse on.

Most of the wagons and horses followed the King, as well as warriors marching behind them. Solfrid watched them leave, heaving a quiet sigh as she turned around to face Arnbjǫrg, who stood there with a warm smile on her lips and her arms open. She took four steps towards her best friend, as they wrapped their arms around each other in a tight, heartfelt hug. They stayed like that for a while, just hugging each other. When they let go of each other, Arnbjǫrg had a shit-eating grin on her face.

"I know you have promised the other's to stay safe and such. But you have to promise me to not get eaten by a dragon, okay?" Arnbjǫrg cackled, making Solfrid roll her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I promise I won't be eaten by a dragon" Solfrid grunted, lightly smacking the shorter girl's arm.

"Stay safe. And don't let my father do anything stupid" Arnbjǫrg said as Solfrid nodded.

"Of course" She said fondly, the two girls hugging one last time.

Solfrid walked over to her mare, gently patting her on the neck as she nickered. Solfrid swiftly mounted, looking over at Egill and Guðlaug, who also were mounted and ready to go. Solfrid let her eyes wander over her home one last time, realizing that she wouldn't see it again until late winter if she was lucky enough. She sent a prayer to whichever God or Goddess that would listen to her, asking them to keep her home safe and protect while they were gone. When she had done that, she looked forwards, back at Egill and Guðlaug, nodding at them that she was ready to go. 

Solfrid gently nudged her mare into a fast-paced walk, waving at her friends as she left. Once she had caught up with Egill and Guðlaug, they began trotting, starting their almost two-month ride up north. Something tingled in her stomach and she couldn't help but feel curious. The tall girl would get to meet an actual dragonborn. She had often wondered what they were like, and she was going to find out. Something sparked inside of her, but she was completely unaware of that. Unaware that this trip would change things greatly, both for the good and bad.

Time went by quickly. The seasons changed fast, too. As the group rode on, and weeks passed, Solfrid got a glimpse of what the country looked like outside of Björnheim. She had never been this far away from home, and she was fascinated by it all. They had stopped by some villages, but most of the time they camped underneath the dark, starry sky. The further north they came, the colder it got. 

It went from late summer to autumn and when they finally were only a couple of days ride away from the isolated kingdom, it was early winter. Solfrid had certainly seen some beautiful scenery along the way, but it didn't compare to what she was seeing now when they only were a couple of hours away from the kingdom. She had witnessed pretty lakes with unique shapes, seen red and orange forests, seen some impressive, smaller mountains, but this was something else. It looked like something out of another world, and now she understands why they were so protective over their kingdom and the sacred land. 

A large mountain chain was present and so tall it almost looked like it touched the sky. The tips were covered in snow, and it was shaped like a slithering snake. It looked rough and edgy, and Solfrid was impressed. Then came the grand forest, filled with different sorts of trees, not limited to the fir- and pine-trees that surrounded their forest in Björnheim. Most of them were stripped of their leaves, standing tall and naked, but the fir-trees still wore their coat of protection. There was only one lake, as far as Solfrid had been able to see, which was frozen.

As they stood on the hill, which provided Solfrid with this wonderful view, she was also able to see the castle. The castle was made out of stone, and looked like the ruins she had seen on the way, the only thing being different was that this building was standing strong. It was huge, robust, and meant to be impregnable. Trying to attack that sort of building would probably not be worth it. It was strong, and it made the princess stare at in awe. As the snow gently fell from the black sky, landing softly on her thick hood, she continued observing the kingdom below. 

She began to feel nervous, yet excited to go there the following day. Egill and the rest of them were busy setting up the camp for the night. The familiar low gurgling sounds of the two abnormally large ravens that followed her around could be heard. She was surprised that they had followed her the entire way up here.

"I've set up your bedroll, my princess" Guðlaug gently said, as to not startle her.

Solfrid looked over her shoulder, her black hood falling as she smiled gratefully at Guðlaug.

"Thank you Guðlaug" She said, as she turned around and walked towards Guðlaug.

The older woman smiled back at the princess, gesturing her to the bedroll which laid safely underneath a roof made out of sticks and fir-tree branches, which provided good shelter, before leaving the taller girl alone. Solfrid sat down on her bedroll, grabbing the rest of her cloak, hugging it tight to her body as she laid down on the soft bedroll. She could still see bits of the outside as she laid there, and she wondered how the following day would turn out. 

Would they reject them as soon as they came near or would they accept them and let her speak to the Dragon King? She had repeated and rehearsed a lot of what she was going to say to the King. She just hoped she wouldn't mess things up. The ancient tongue was a bit tricky to speak, but she was determined to do this. 

For her parents, for her brothers, for her people, for her home. 

She wasn't going to give up, there was no chance that she would backtrack on it now. Slowly, as the cloak and her winter clothing provided her with comfortable heat, she began drifting into a darkness, which for once wasn't plagued with nightmares that would haunt her. 

So unaware that her life would change so drastically the following day. 

♔

 _―_ 𝚎.𝚛 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you liked this! :)


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